Shinigami
by Webster'sWeb
Summary: "You have a terrible gift." As if he didn't already know. It was a curse that followed him every day wherever he looked; eyes that could see when and how people would die. But it was also a blessing. Those same eyes gave him the power to change that fate. "I can't look away, not anymore... If I do nothing, people will die."
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Betting with Lives

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* * *

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* * *

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"_Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, this is Officer Sato speaking. How may I help?"_

"…"

"… _Hello?"_

"_There is going to be an earthquake on May 15__th__, at approximately 15:20."_

"_W—What?"_

"_It will be followed by a tsunami. It will reach Iwaki, Fukushima by approximately 15:35."_

"… _Who am I speaking with?"_

"_I know it sounds like it might be a joke or some sick prank, but I promise you, I'm _not_ lying. If nothing is done to prepare, __**people will die**__."_

"_How do you know this, sir—Can I get your name?"_

"_I can see it with my Quirk, and… no. I don't want to."_

"_Your Quirk… alright. What else can you see, sir?"_

"_It will kill a lot of people up the coast… in Ibaraki and Chiba, too, though it will hit them slightly later… Iwaki is the farthest north I've seen. I can't tell exactly how strong the earthquake will be, or how high the tsunami will be… I don't know how many aftershocks there will be, or how bad… there's not much else to say. That's all I can help with."_

"_No, thank you, sir. Can you stay on the line for a minute? I'd like for you to talk with my supervisor as well. He may have more questions than I do. Can you do that?"_

"…" –_Beep._

The recording ended, and every one of the twenty people around the rectangular table was silent and still. Then, one person shifted forward in their chair.

"So, let me sum this up… The police got a call about a vague disaster prophesy from some guy whose name we don't even know, so you called us all in because…?" Lock Hero: Rock Lock left his words hanging in the air the same way he did objects, an open hand raised in incredulous invitation to take him up on the offer to reply. The Commissioner General of the Police Force shifted his severe frown to him.

"The Police Force must respond to every threat to national security accordingly."

"Of course, and an earthquake is no joke, but there's no guarantee that _this_ isn't," Lock returned. "I mean, are we going to man a nationwide response to every prank call the police gets just because they 'promised' they were for real? What's our proof we should listen to him? Do we even have any?"

Officer Tsukauchi, seated beside the canine Chief of Police Tsuragamae, shifted forward. "Your point is not invalid, Rock Lock. Officer Sato was unable to keep the caller on the line long enough to gather more information, and further investigation revealed a disposable phone ending the trail there. We know absolutely nothing about this individual, other than what he told us. However, it is the opinion of myself and others on the Police Force that this claim warrants further investigation.

In addition to his call to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, he has made other calls to various institutions all reflecting the same message; police departments in Fukushima, Ibaraki and Chiba, the national coast guard, and the offices of several pro heroes; those ranked the very highest and specializing in water or search and rescue."

His eyes flicked around to each of them in turn. Selkie, Gang Orca, Ryukyu, Hound Dog, Uwabami, and Mandalay, Ragdoll, Pixie-Bob, and Tiger of the Wild, Wild Pussycats. _… Although, most of the highest-ranking like Endeavor said they were too busy to make it. Even All Might… _His eyes settled on a specific man at the table. _Declined to be in this room._ His eyes shifted back to Rock Lock.

"If this is a prank, it is a time-staking one risking serious personal consequences. And to be honest, this sense of urgency he holds doesn't sit well with my intuition."

Rock Lock considered that with a frown that was not entirely convinced but did concede a hum of acknowledgment.

That specific man settled forward in his seat, lacing long fingers in a tent beneath his chin with a humorless look. "You say this individual made calls to many of us in this room, however, I can say with certainty _I_ was not one such person. That call of invitation came you alone, Officer Tsukauchi. And I can suppose a reason."

Tsukauchi's eyes returned to him, and he gave a nod. "Yes. I invited you here to gain your insight on this person, Sir Nighteye."

Centipeder and Bubble Girl looked to their boss sitting between them expectantly. His face remained solemn. "Would you like me to theorize about his Quirk based on the tone of his voice? I'm sure I could propose all manner of conjecture," Nighteye replied dryly. "… Though, of course, I understand what you mean. The proof you are seeking for this person's claim—you hope to find it with Foresight. What better to judge the validity of one prophetic Quirk than with another?"

The collection of heroes, police, and government officials fixed him with looks of anticipation. "Can you do this, Sir Nighteye?" The Commissioner asked seriously.

Nighteye was motionless for an unrushed pause, then he bowed his head. "… Hmm. You should be more wary of calling on my Quirk so quickly. You just might regret what I'll see… I question the extent of this person's ability to judge the future. May 15th, at approximately 15:20; approximately 15:35; and a slightly later arrival to the other locations; time was the only specific detail he could even provide. That, and… _people will die_." He was quiet for another long moment with his face cast in shadow and eyes on the table between his elbows. "… He said that with such certainty. If that's the future he saw, then I have to wonder at its potential to be changed. When I look beyond the present, the view I see is… unforgivably certain."

"So, what's the answer, then? Is that just a roundabout way of saying you can't do it?" Lock spoke up, looking a bit impatient. "People will die—if that's the case, then what the heck are we waiting for? Take a peek already and see if he's for real. Come on!"

Nighteye looked up, his gaze unreadable over the top of his laced fingers as it returned to the Commissioner General, still awaiting a response with stern attentiveness. "… I can. You are right about that much; we cannot bet with lives. I'm afraid my Foresight cannot provide confirmation of the exact timing, but as to whether or not there will _be_ a disaster in the near future—_that_ I can see."

His head turned to the young lady beside him looking Bubble Girl in the eye. She had a serious gaze that met his, and she nodded. Viewing an entire month into the future was something he typically deemed extremely risky. However, the weight of lives that might be lost from such a disaster outweighed even his great caution about Foresight's accuracy. Whatever the specific nature of the caller's Quirk, the risk at a national level demanded Nighteye concede the use of his.

He reached out and tapped her hand with a finger. "I'll have my own sidekick assist me in the matter." His eyes shifted purple as Foresight activated.

Bubble Girl's future rolled out in his mind with days spent toiling in the office, short periods of fieldwork, and a dissatisfying lack of cheer demanding tickle torture. Cautiously, he skimmed over most of it looking only for the disaster. There was an unclear passage of time with days melting into nights, but eventually, there came the moment that he focused his sight on. She paused in her work and moved to the doorframe to brace herself. There was a short span of time waiting, and then she and the slim view of the world around her began to shake. He watched until the shaking became truly formidable, and then he closed his eyes. He dared not risk looking to the end results of the quake and beyond. It was difficult to judge the days, but it was close enough by his estimate to be accurate with the caller's prediction.

Nighteye looked up and swept his gaze around the waiting room with all eyes on him.

"There will be an earthquake in the near future, Commissioner. I advise proceeding with the assumption that the caller is accurate in their timing."

The Commissioner's slim eyes narrowed further. "We will be prepared."

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* * *

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"_Breaking News: In an unprecedented move, the Commissioner General of the Japan Police Force has declared a nationwide state of emergency—one month __**before**__ the emergency. The full story at 11—"_

"—_Police Force received an anonymous tip that there will be an earthquake and tsunami one month from now on May 15__th__—"_

"—_Heroes and police are coordinating preparations in vulnerable coastal regions—"_

"—_Recommending the public stockpile food and water for the aftermath—"_

"—_Sales of portable stoves and toiletries have skyrocketed—"_

"—_Companies under public scrutiny for taking advantage of fear to hike prices—"_

"—_Stock market plunge—"_

"—_This is kind of crazy, isn't it—?"_

"—_Here, listen! They got a leaked recording of the caller—"_

"—_That guy sounds pretty shady to me—"_

"—_Attention-seeker—" _

"—_I dunno, he sounds scared to me—" _

"—_What kind of Quirk do you think he's got that sees the future—?" _

"—_I could have had a dream more detailed than that—!"_

"—_Commissioner taking the word of some prank caller—"_

"—_How bad is it even going to be? The police won't say—"_

"—_He's staking his career on this decision—!"_

"—_What a fool—" _

"—_Heroes fortifying the seawalls, did you hear—?" _

"—_How much money is this costing the government? My tax dollars—"_

"—_They're advising evacuation drills ahead of the date. At least I might get out of some work—"_

"—_But what if it really does happen—?" _

"—_Commissioner's decision under immense public scrutiny—" _

"—_He doesn't have any proof at all, what a joke—" _

"—_I'm usually for his decisions, but this is beyond me—" _

"—_His stances are so hard-lined, this is highly unusual for him—" _

"—_Something we don't know, maybe, confidential information—"_

"—_If it happened and he didn't do anything, the media would eat him alive. On the other hand, if it ends up being a prank now, he'll lose all reputation and credibility—"_

"—_Damned if you do, damned if you don't—" _

"—_I don't envy the guy at all—"_

"_Well, as it stands, he's taking us all down with him, too. If Japan invests all this effort into taking a joke seriously, we'll all be the fool on an international scale—" _

"—_**You make it sound like that earthquake better happen or else**__—!"  
_

_._

* * *

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"So… everybody ready, yeah? Tomorrow's the big day."

Everyone seated on the floor around the table shifted their attention to Present Mic. He had a bit of a grin with cheeks tinted and his cup of sake lifted in one hand. "It's all anybody can talk about this past month."

"Come on, Yamada. We're trying to _relax_ about it right now," Midnight scolded.

"Not something I'm really eager to see there, Mic," Vlad agreed from across the table.

"Grrrrr…. You bet I'm ready. It's gonna happen, alright! I've gotta be ready if worse comes to worst and it's a big one! My nose is already itching! _Ruff_!" Hound Dog looked far more worked up about it, his drink tipping precariously as he swiped his hand around until Vlad nonchalantly steadied it for him.

"Of course, you'll be out on the front lines if it comes true," Mic nodded, his eyes shifting sympathetically to another hero at the table. "Kinda like someone else, around here. How are you holding up, Cement?"

A weary-looking Cementoss settled heavily into his arms with a sigh weighed down by the thousands of tons of seawall-reinforcing cement he'd put up this past month. "I sincerely hope that everything they've had me put up won't be needed. It would be embarrassing if it was a hoax, but I'd like it to be; for everyone's sake."

"No way, we're ready for this. I'm ready for it to happen. I'll be out there first!" Excavator shot back flexing his massive digging hands.

"Oh, you're on the Commissioner's side, too, huh?" Mic questioned.

"No side that needs picking. The Commissioner General has never suffered any fools. I've always agreed with his approach."

"Well, you're certainly right about the guy being serious. I think he knows how to smile even less than Aizawa," Mic replied, his eyes shifting to the man slouching beside him.

Eraser remained completely impassive until Mic prodded him with an elbow. "And you?"

He never looked up from his drink. "… There's nothing to say. Conjecture is a waste of time. It happens or it doesn't; we respond accordingly."

The group was startled as Hound Dog suddenly brought his hand and cup thumping down on the table, sloshing a little of the beer over the edge of the glass with Vlad quickly providing napkins.

"You guys are missing the point! It _will_ happen! And it _will_ be bad enough for people to die! That's what's going down, and anyone not ready for it is a barking mad fool!" He growled heatedly.

Mic took in how agitated he was for a moment. "… You were at that first meeting, yeah? With the Commissioner there."

"_Grrrr_…" Hound Dog's growl quieted as he thought for a moment, then he lifted his head and peered around the room for eavesdroppers. He leaned closer into the table then, his voice dropping to a gruff undertone. "It's not just the caller who saw it… Sir Nighteye did, too."

The table collectively stiffened up at that. "Hey, he's that one guy who was All Might's man for a while, right? Some kind of precognition Quirk?"

"Foresight… he was there, and he saw it coming with Foresight," Hound Dog continued in his hushed voice. "He didn't want it public, though… too much attention on himself. And something about his Quirk, for some reason he didn't want to look at the details of what's coming. Afraid he might set it in stone... So, if the caller and the Commissioner aren't good enough for you, let one of our own be!"

The group stared at him in silence, and Vlad, in particular, looked concerned from where he'd paused in cleaning up the beer with napkins in hand. "Hey… were you supposed to tell anyone that? I think this is your last one, Dog."

He scowled with his canine nose scrunching as he gesticulated clumsily with a hand. "I'mma grown man! I'll drink what I want!"

"Drown your anxieties about tomorrow is more like it!"

The group was sufficiently quieted, though, contemplating on that.

"So, that's the piece the media is missing, huh," Mic mused to himself lowly. Someone flicked him on the head and he startled, looking up sharply at the offender sitting next to him.

Midnight looked a bit cross. "Congrats, you've got him all worked up now with your yammering. Let's all just enjoy tonight, how about that?" She turned to her own drink, hiding any obvious worry. "Sounds like it will be our last chance to relax."

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* * *

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_May 15__th__, 15:10_

"Alright, just like our drills. Everybody on the floor. Get under your desks."

"Huh? It's not for another ten minutes, though."

Eraser looked cross. "The earthquake is supposed to hit at _approximately _15:20. Stop wasting time. Floor. Now."

The students got on the floor still chatting actively amongst themselves. Eraser himself stayed standing to supervise though remained behind the desk at the front to get under it when necessary. Due to the time of day the earthquake was supposed to hit, it had been decided on a nationwide scale that all school-age children remain on school grounds until after the time had passed (with the obvious exception of schools too close to the coast). All classes were put on hold and homeroom teachers returned to their designated classes until the theoretical disaster passed. As for everywhere else, the nation was in a state of well-organized chaos.

Systematic removal of senior citizens and otherwise vulnerable individuals from threatened coastal regions to designated evacuation facilities had begun in the morning all across the country. The workday had been cut short for everyone else giving them sufficient time to prepare their belongings and retreat inland. The police and fully mobilized Pro Hero forces had finished last-call sweeps of the direct coastline communities and taken station at their blockades by the end of the last hour. The coast of Japan had become one long, continuous ghost town in a matter of hours in a way that had never been seen before.

As the final minutes crept by, sirens all across the nation warned drivers to stop their vehicles and police patrols made sure of it. Every train in Japan came to a standstill. Factory assembly-lines were motionless. Thousands of offices were quiet and even eerily empty with most employees leaving to prepare. The harbors were a skeleton with all their boats removed to the safety of open water. Cameras were rolling on all angles with every news channel offering its own particular opinion on the situation. And not just in Japan; internationally, all eyes were pointed inward on the bizarre, fascinating diligence of the nation in response to this supernaturally-perceived threat. History would be made today, and only a scarce few minutes remained before it would be decided with Japan going down in the records as setting a world precedent in disaster response or as the most gullible nation on the planet. The world held its breath and watched.

One of the students had pulled up a live news feed on her phone, and the whole room listened in on it between some nervous, excited chatter. Aizawa listened to it with detached disinterest. Of course, the media didn't really have anything new to go on with this case, so it was a rehash of everything that everyone already knew with checkins around the country in real-time while they sat on the edges of their seat waiting for the real news to begin. The Commissioner General was of course at the heart of the discussion.

Though he kept his thoughts to himself unlike seemingly everybody else, that certainly didn't mean Eraser hadn't thought about it. Logically, it was a massive bet, but one the Commissioner had absolutely no choice but to take. Even the slightest chance of it coming true could mean disaster for the entire country. Illogically, he'd be thrown to the wolves regardless if he had nothing to show for the national loss of face, massive preparation efforts, and financial losses associated with them. This moment would define his career whether it made it or ended it. But despite the burden he carried, the Commissioner was all-in, absolutely steadfast and unwavering in seeing his decision through to the end. Eraser didn't envy his position one bit, but he could respect that stony resolve.

"_15:19."_ Eraser's ears focused on the broadcast. The room had become unnervingly quiet.

"_Just one minute left until the earthquake's time of arrival. We expect an EEW to be issued in the coming seconds. Anyone who hasn't taken refuge yet, please do so now."_

_*_A system of over four thousand seismometers installed around Japan consisted of the Early Earthquake Warning system (EEW) designed for the soonest possible detection and nationwide alerting of impending earthquakes.

"_15:19 and ten seconds… twenty… thirty… forty… fifty… 15:20."_

Eraser did sink under the desk then, and the whole nation tightened its grip with the students to their desks. The room was dead silent, everyone's eyes and ears focused on the phone as the news presenter continued quietly onward.

"_15:20 and ten seconds… … … … … … … … … … _

_ Twenty… … … … … … … … … …_

_ Thirty… … … … … … … … … …_

_ Forty… … … … … … … … … …_

_ Fifty… … … … … … … … … …_

_15:21."_

"_15:21! The time has passed."_

"_Approximately! The call said approximately! No one relax, yet. The police advisory will remain in effect until 15:35._

_15:21 and ten seconds… … … … … … … … … …_

_twenty second—"_

_Chime! "This is an Earthquake Early Warning."_

The student's phone sounded, and there was a sharpening of breath.

"_There's the warning! Everyone brace yourself for tremors."_

Depending on an individual's distance to the epicenter, the warning could give them seconds to minutes to respond. Not knowing the exact "_when_" hung an excruciating tension over the room, hardly a soul even breathing. The spell of silence was broken by a loose pencil twitching, then starting to jitter on its own. The metal legs of the desks trembled with impending vibrations beneath their fingers, increasing in rapid speed until it was the legs that were moving back and forth entirely. Rumbling filled up the space left by broken silence as everything began to shake in unison. The first rolls of the earth under their feet were gradual, as if testing, and then the real deal slammed into them. Students let out sounds of alarm, holding for dear life onto desks that tried to slide away. The building around them groaned. Eraser was silent, his eyes pinned tensely on the unsteady floor and grip tight.

As a nation that experienced 1,500 recorded tremors of varying magnitude every year, no citizen of Japan was a stranger to seismological activity. By that same coin, most of them, especially older residents, had enough experience to rapidly tell that _this_ was no minor event like most of those tremors were. The country creaked, buckled, and shifted, ripples of energy radiating out across the globe.

The time stretched out with their fear, but soon enough, the worst vibration passed, the desks calmed down, and eventually, even the lone pencil, having skittered far beyond its starting place on the floor, came to a standstill. A wary hush settled over the class, then a collective sigh of relief escaped. Eraser uncurled and rose cautiously, eyes scanning the room.

"Is everyone alright?"

The students checked themselves and voiced an affirmation, and with that, ease washed over them. They rose off the floor with excited, awed, and concerned chatter returning loudly amongst themselves. Eraser let them, getting a visual on every student then going out into the hallway. Other teachers were coming out into the hall as well to check with each other as planned each with their phone on for wider shared communication across the campus.

Eraser met eyes with Vlad, his eyes still visibly, and literally, shook up.

"You good?" Eraser asked.

"Yeah… that was _huge_," Vlad replied seriously. "A disaster on that level…"

"_Tsunami warnings have been officially issued. Early detection anticipates landfall in approximately ten minutes. Anyone who has not done so, retreat to high ground now…"_

The teachers listened to the continuing announcements coming from the student's phone. Vlad and Eraser shared a solemn look, nothing more needed to convey what the experienced pros could already sense.

A disaster like this would define a lifetime.

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* * *

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"—_an 8.9 magnitude earthquake at 15:21—"_

"—_The largest earthquake recorded in Japan in over a century—"_

"—_Top 3 in Japan's recorded history—!"_

"—_8-story-high tsunami inundated Iwaki, Fukushima—"_

"—_Even the reinforced seawalls weren't enough in some coastal communities—"_

"—_whole towns destroyed and swept out to sea—"_

"—_Officials still evaluating the casualty report—"_

"—_Tsunami waves continued their swell for over an hour before subsiding—"_

"—_International support pouring in—" _

"—_Tsunami landfall estimated around the Pacific—" _

"—_You can see for yourself on the screen the absolute swath of destruction the tsunami has left in its wake—"_

"—_**Japan's efforts being commended worldwide**__—"_

_._

* * *

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52 casualties.

_Fifty. Two._

Officials still weren't sure they could believe the count. In a nation of over a hundred million, it was an astronomically tiny loss of life in the face of such a significant disaster.

"—_Didn't heed the warning, decided to watch the tsunami from presumed safety on the cliff—"_

"—_there's always some sad, sorry fool that thinks it won't happen to them—"_

"—_a tragic waste of young life—" _

"—_A poor old lady fell and hit her head, too—"_

"—_How sad—"_

More people were killed in the significant number of powerful aftershocks which came in the following days than the actual inciting quake and tsunami. This was attributed to a lack of forewarning. The death toll was still a shockingly low 187 people nationwide for a disaster which had impacted the entirety of the heavily-populated coast. Rebuilding was going to be a massive undertaking.

Officer Tsukauchi was in the same room as the Commissioner General when the earthquake struck along with other members of the police force. Each of them had known the significance of this moment for his fate, and likewise the reputation of all of them. When the shaking ended and everyone warily stood up, he bore witness to the scene that followed.

The Commissioner, usually stoic, seemed in a state of shock by the widening of his eyes. It had happened. It had really happened, after _everything_…

The Commissioner's wife, also in the room, embraced him at once. They had been witnesses to her as a silent pillar of support in the past month. No matter how much the public, media, political leaders, his own colleagues, and the international community battered his character and life's work, she stood right at his side through the full brunt of their scrutiny.

Her touch seemed to bring him back to reality. He melted into her arms with the crushing, unceasing, _vicious_ weight of the whole world's critical eyes and opinions sloughing off of his shoulders. The dreaded anticipation was resolved. It was over. His fate, and that of history, had been decided. His lips pressed into the hair by her ear and whispered. _Thank you._

And then he pulled away, the private vulnerability disappearing with his face settling again into its stern default as he focused on addressing the gathered officers and government leaders. The phase of preparation was over, but the new challenge of response had only just begun.

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* * *

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"—_The Commissioner General—"_

_ "—Commissioner General—"_

"—_Commissioner General of the Japan Police Force—"_

"—_is being hailed as a __**national hero**__—"_

"—_his intuition in listening to the caller—"_

"—_leadership of the Police Force—" _

"—_Coordinating preparations was instrumental—"_

"—_the Police response in the wake of the disaster has been praiseworthy—"_

"—_Prime Minister commending the Commissioner General's actions—"_

_ "—Commissioner General to address the public today in open media forum—"_

"—_Commissioner, what guided your decision to take action on this anonymous call—?"_

"—_I will not __**bet**__ with people's __**lives**__—"_

" —_What gave you the strength to get through this most difficult point in your career—?"_

"—_My wife—"_

—_Web Search: the Commissioner General's wife… _

_name /_

_married how long? / _

_career / _

_do they have kids/_

_is pretty /_

—

"—_Commissioner, do you know who the caller is—?"_

"—_**Not at this time**__—"_

_._

* * *

.

How quickly the media changed its tune.

After tearing him apart from every angle for an entire month, everyone was tripping over themselves in the effort to build him up in the best possible light.

It was not underserved. Knowing fully what the costs might be, the Commissioner had declared himself the source of responsibility in order to protect his colleagues and the leaders of the nation from any fallout. In his eyes, the world's praise came on the sobering reality of the worst-case scenario, that of the call being true, coming to pass. From scapegoat to savior.

But without a doubt, the single most significant factor in the preservation of untold thousands of lives in the eyes of the media and public opinion was the person who had made any of it possible in the first place.

"—_Who _**is**_ the mystery caller—?"_

"—_Police being inundated with fake claims of being the caller—"_

"—_Prime Minister asking the real caller to step forward—"_

"—_a national hero as much as the Commissioner General—"_

"—_a Quirk that can save countless lives—!"_

"—_Did you hear? Even All Might thanked him on TV—"_

"—_Has he saved as many people as All Might, do you think—?"_

"—_We won't ever know, because he kept them from getting hurt in the first place—"_

"—_Make that guy a Pro—!"_

"—_I wonder if he's single—?" _

"—_Ew, you don't even know if he's _cute_, yet—"_

"—_Who is he—?"_

"—_Where is he—?"_

"—_Why isn't he coming forward—?"_

"—_Too scared—"_

"—_I'd be—"_

"—_**Everybody's watching**__—"_

"—_that's selfish—"_

"—_should use his Quirk for the police—"_

"—_What if he's already in the police? Plot twist—!"_

"—_More like conspiracy theory—!"_

"—_Who is the mystery caller—?"_

"—_**Everyone is **_**dying**_** to find out**__—"_

_._

* * *

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"Tsukauchi."

The Commissioner settled a hand of trust on the detective's shoulder and looked him in the eye.

"_Find him."_

_._

* * *

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* * *

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**Next time on Shinigami**: Join Officer Tsukauchi on his quest to find the main character.


	2. Chapter 2

**Forewarning: Some dark themes ahead.**

Chapter 2

Origins of an Unlikely Hero

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* * *

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* * *

.

"Well, uh… I think I might be sick."

The nurse nodded absently and continued typing without pause. "Tell me about your symptoms."

"Well, uh… I don't know. None, I think?"

Her eyes flicked up from the computer to the older man sitting on the exam table. "Any sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, coughing or sneezing?"

"No, none of those."

"Fever, headache, nausea or vomiting?"

"No, none of that, either."

"Trouble sleeping, appetite changes, fatigue, weakness anywhere?"

"None."

"Any chronic illnesses, or maybe exposure to someone who's ill?"

"No."

"A… general feeling of being unwell, perhaps?"

"No, I feel alright."

"… In _what_ way do you feel sick?"

"I'm… not sure. That's why I'm here."

She fixed him with a long look, the keyboard silent. "… Is there _anything_ I can tell the doctor?"

He shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms. "I know it doesn't sound like it makes much sense. But I met someone who said their Quirk told'em I could be really sick. I feel just fine, but it scared me a little the way he came up to me. I didn't want to take any chances, you know? It's been a while since I've had a checkup, anyway."

"…" She absorbed that for a moment then resumed typing a quick note. "Okay, I'll let the doctor know. She'll be in with you shortly."

"Thank you."

The nurse exited.

Still not the weirdest story she'd heard today.

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* * *

.

"I have cancer."

Officer Tsukauchi looked at the older man sympathetically. "I'm sorry. This must be a difficult time for you."

He looked down at the coffee cup in his hands, quiet for a moment. "Doc says my prognosis is great. We got it early… I didn't even have a clue. It feels like it hit me from out of nowhere. If that person hadn't told me to go to a doctor, and if I hadn't listened… Well, it would have been worse. A lot worse. Maybe I'd even… die. It got me thinking, then, about the similarities with that caller, and how he saved everyone." He looked up at Tsukauchi again, his eyes earnest.

"Officer Tsukauchi, I hope this is of use to your investigation. I don't know if it's him, but if there's someone out there who can help people like that, the world's a better place for it."

Tsukauchi nodded solemnly putting a reassuring hand on the man's forearm. "Thank you for the information, sir. I wish you the best recovery."

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* * *

_._

_Edogawa, Tokyo_

"We're looking for a young man. He's described as tall, thin, and wearing black clothes. His most defining trait is said to be red eyes. Does that sound familiar?"

The woman behind the convenience store counter thought for a few moments, a hand to her chin. "Hmmm… oh, hold on. There was that one boy. He came in with his hood up and his head down dressed in all-black. I remember him because he looked so _shady_ that I expected him to steal. He didn't, but he refused to look up at me or say a word when he paid at the counter. He had long black bangs, but I do think his eyes were red."

Tsukauchi's eyes were keen as he wrote quickly in his notepad. "When did you see this individual?"

"A couple weeks back… two? Right at the end of the week."

"Have you seen him before then or since?"

"Nope. Never."

"You said he was a 'boy'; how old did he look to you?"

"Oh, he was young. A teen, for sure. Tall for his age even with the slouching, though skinny. And pale, too."

"I see… one more thing. May I see your security cameras from that time?"

"Sure. Come to the back."

"Thank you."

Tsukauchi followed her lead.

"Got to dust this old dog off, give me just a minute… Alright. I think it was on a Sunday, if I recall correctly. And it was at night, I remember that for sure…"

She fell silent as she searched through the video. "Aha! There he is."

Tsukauchi leaned in a little closer as she slowed the video down to real-time. He entered the store just as she had described him, and Tsukauchi watched him slink down the row. Whether he knew where the camera was or not, he kept his face obscured regardless with his hood up and his head angled down. He seemed to know just what he was getting as he made a beeline for a particular candy and soda then went straight to the counter. Tsukauchi squinted at the screen. _A Coca Cola for sure, and a bag of…_

"Licorice?"

"Black licorice," she confirmed. "Terrible stuff."

"Heh, I'm fairly fond of it myself." Tsukauchi wrote a quick note. An insignificant detail, perhaps, but sometimes it was the little things that mattered. There wasn't much else to see in the video, though, for he slinked out as discreetly as he had slinked in. The detective tapped his pen a few times while thinking, then clicked it closed and slipped his notepad into his coat.

"May I have a copy of your surveillance?"

"I don't mind."

Once a copy of the recording was in his possession, Tsukauchi gave her a tip of his hat and a polite bow.

"Thank you for all your help, ma'am. I won't take any more of your time."

"Sure." They returned to the front of the store, though before he could leave, she looked at his retreating back curiously. "One question for you, Officer." He paused by the door and looked back. "This have anything to do with the earthquake caller?"

Tsukauchi made a polite smile that gave nothing away. "I can't say, ma'am."

"Huh," she gave an unconvinced grunt. "Everyone knows you're onto him, anyway."

Tsukauchi's expression didn't change as he said nothing in reply and exited the building. Out of sight, the smile slid off his face for a mildly annoyed look. Everyone was onto him, and didn't he know it. No one on the force was exactly sure how it had been leaked that Tsukauchi was the officer on the case, but the detective himself suspected that it might have simply been chance informants and word of mouth. With the way he had practically been going door-to-door, there was a long trail of people who had seen him around, and the media had a nose better than Hound Dog for this sort of thing.

Not that it surprised him given the circumstances. The entire country wanted to know who this person was; people around the globe. It had been nearly a month now since the May 15th disaster, and still, the caller had not come forward. People were restless. They wanted answers. Who was this anonymous hero, and could he use that same power again?

Unfortunately, the trail was… well, he couldn't even say it was 'cold'. There _was_ _no_ trail. The phone was the closest thing to a trail, and it had been an immediate dead-end. With the single identifier of the caller being 'male', they had reduced their search to a meager _half the population of Japan_.

Except, the media _did_ have one useful contribution. The spotlight they shown on the Police Force and its investigation, constantly stirring the pot of public interest, meant that they were fed a regular feed of people calling in with possible leads. Millions of eyes and ears were on the alert for this guy. Undoubtedly, most of these tips would end up being useless; some of them downright fake (there were always those kinds of people). But it gave the police _something_. They were still taking shots in the dark across the whole country, but at least they had bullets and a prayer for this scattershot approach.

It was one such tip that had brought Tsukauchi here. An older gentleman, coming into the station to present possible information. As one of hundreds who had said the exact same thing, he hadn't been regarded as anything special at first, politely told to wait and fill out a quick document until someone could speak with him.

"_Hi, there! I'm Tsukauchi Makoto. Thank you so much for coming in today." The older man startled at the bubbly warmth from the young lady who came in. He'd really been expecting someone more serious—and less pleasant. _

_She took him by the hand as she sat down beside him chatting away comfortably, a brimming smile on her face. "Tell me this information you've got."_

"_A-Ah, well, I…"_

Yes, it made Officer Naomasa Tsukauchi want to groan. Again, in fact. His little sister screening the leads was just… _exasperating_. She had come sauntering in out of the blue like she always did, insisting she could help speed things right along.

"_You just don't have the right presence for this kind of thing. I'll smooth-talk the truth right out of them! And Polygraph will prove it. I'll make sure you don't waste your time on the useless leads right from the start. And I know, I know, confidentiality and all that! You know who I work with, of course."_

Tsukauchi wasn't sure if he was more dismayed over the fact that she hadn't taken his many "no's" for an answer or the fact that the Chief of Police had vetoed all of them with a single "yes" once she presented her case. But either way, he was working with his little sister.

"_I've got your back!" She winked cheerily, and he sighed._

"_I know…" _

He was equal parts annoyed and proud of her. Annoyed, because she always did things unconventionally like this, and had somehow worked her way into everybody's good favor at a record pace in a way he could never do proving exactly why she was right. And proud, because she was doing something great for people, and for him. Family always made things so complicated. Regardless, he hadn't doubted her judgment at all when she called him into the room with a sufficiently buttered-up older gentleman. Tsukauchi had seen too many such individuals over the course of the investigation to be outright hopeful when he sat down with him, but the jaded set of his eyes soon vanished once the man spoke.

"… _He just came up to me all of a sudden on the street and took my hand, stopped me and told me that I should see a doctor. That his Quirk said I would be really sick, soon. It scared me. He had these piercing red eyes; felt like he was staring right into my soul. He turned away as quickly as he came though, didn't stop to chat. I called out and tried to catch up to him, but he ran off."_

An exact description of the young man; a location of Edogawa, Tokyo with a time and date; and a tangible consequence from the interaction. _Cancer_. Some of the leads they'd gotten had one or two of those things. But scant few had all of them. And there was something so honest about the intent in the man's eyes that it made Tsukauchi's intuition fire.

He raised his handheld radio. "Tamakawa, he was at the convenience store a few weeks ago. Be advised that he may be younger than we originally thought, though tall for his age."

"_Got it. No luck at the park over here_."

"Don't worry about it. I also got a copy of surveillance footage with him in it. Let's head back to the station for now."

"_Roger that. See you soon_."

Tsukauchi put the radio away, his eyes drifting out across the environment as he headed back to the police car to meet up. _Somewhere, in Edogawa…_ It was one of the most distant of the special wards from the heart of Tokyo. It had the sea to the south, the Arakawa River along its western edge, the Kyuedo River on the eastern edge, and the Shinnaka River cutting right through after diverging from the Kyuedo; fortunately, its placement well within the Tokyo Bay had protected it from the brute force of the tsunami. A beach, a sea life park, several natural museums, and gardens were some of its highlights. None of that was particularly useful, though it at least gave them some populated places to start looking. Crime-wise, it was completely unremarkable; not exactly the place where a disaster-preventing Quirk was best put to use. _Why here?_

From a more socioeconomic perspective, it also had the cheapest rent on average in Tokyo. There was a culture of fishing as was appropriate for its water proximity. _His family has a low-income, or work, perhaps? If he's so young, then a school…_ He dwelled on that thought and pulled up his phone, studying the local school district. There were several high schools and a handful of junior high schools. He put his phone away again, a troubled frown on his face.

_For someone so young to be the caller… It's regrettable, but even if that is the case, I still have to find you…_

.

* * *

.

"This is the individual that we're looking for." Tsukauchi tapped the images taken from the surveillance pinned on the board as copies were handed out to the officers in the room by the orange tabby officer Tamakawa. "We will visit each of the junior and high schools in Edogawa and ask them if they recognize him. Contact me and Tamakawa if any of them do. I'd like to assess him directly."

A hand raised uncertainly. "Tsukauchi, are we really sure the caller is someone so… _young_?"

"_His voices sounded older on the call,_" someone else muttered in agreement.

"_There's software for that, though." _

"_Or maybe he's just mature for his age._"

Tsukauchi cut through the murmurs calmly. "We won't know for certain until we meet him, though I understand how unfortunate it may be. If he really is just a child, we have an even greater duty to protect him." His expression was solemn. "The weight of the whole world's scrutiny is something a boy shouldn't have to carry alone."

.

* * *

.

Tsukauchi and Tamakawa went to one of the high schools first. They were both of the opinion that it was more probable and better off for the boy to be relatively older, so the junior highs were prioritized lower. Their questioning left them empty-handed, however. As they were exiting down the front steps of the school, another team gave them a buzz.

"_Tsukauchi, he was recognized at Edogawa Junior High."_

The detective replied immediately. "We'll be right over. Let the other teams know."

The two officers drove to the school straight away. Entering the building, they regrouped in the school office with the principal and the two other officers.

"Officer Tsukauchi Naomasa," the detective gave a bow and gestured to the feline man beside him, "and Officer Tamakawa Sansa. Thank you for meeting with us, sir."

"Kojima Eiichi," the beaver-shaped principal greeted in turn. He invited them with a furred paw into the privacy of his office, the furniture notably made of attractive wood, and they followed after his paddle tail. "Please, have a seat." Kojima gestured to a pair of sofas facing each other over a coffee table. Tsukauchi and Tamakawa sat on one side while he took the other. The principal settled forward with an amicable, round-cheeked expression. "As I understand it from your colleagues, you're looking for one of the students here?"

"That's right. They showed you the pictures—you recognized him?"

"Yes, I did. Though they wouldn't elaborate on anything else until you got here. Tell me, then. Did he get into trouble?"

"No, sir, none that I'm aware of," Tsukauchi reassured him. "We're here for another matter entirely; a rather opposite one. We are investigating a case in which a witness recounted him using his Quirk to help save that person's life."

Kojima's eyes widened. "_Akiyama_ did?"

"Akiyama—That's his name?" Tamakawa inquired, golden cat-eyes sharpening.

The principal fell silent for a moment as he digested his surprise into a puzzled frown. "… That doesn't make sense. His Quirk can't do anything like that."

"What can it do, exactly?" Tsukauchi asked.

Kojima's frown didn't go away as he sighed, eyes dropping to the coffee table. "… Akiyama Shisui. Is an unfortunate boy." The officers stirred at his suddenly solemn air. "When he looks at people, he sees how they will die."

Their eyes widened then flicked immediately to each other, thoughts in-sync.

"It's not something he can turn off. It is a constant vision for him. As I understand it, it's something related to his mother's Quirk. Death dreams, or some such thing. They see the future of how people will die."

Tsukauchi's eyes gleamed, returning to the principal as he leaned forward. _If that's the case—! _"And they can _change _that future?"

"No." Kojima remained solemn, eyes down. "Not as far as I know."

The spark died in the detective's eyes, and he settled back in his seat still looking at the somber countenance of the principal. His brow furrowed. _As far as he knows…_

"… Kojima-san, we would like to speak with Akiyama."

"I'm afraid not." They looked at him questioningly, but his solemn look shifted apologetically. "Because he isn't here. He skipped school today."

"Skipped?"

"_Not_ something unusual for him," Kojima assured to the officers' expressions of alarm. "Rather unfortunately, he's a student with some disciplinary issues. His grades have slipped and he skips school regularly. We've tried multiple times to address the issue, but he has been… unresponsive."

Tsukauchi's eyes softened. "Has he always been troubled like that?"

"Not in this way, at least. He was always quiet. A loner who kept his head down and out of trouble. It's only been since the end of last summer that his misbehavior began, and it's continued into this year. Like he suddenly stopped caring."

"Hmmm… what changed?" Tamakawa purred thoughtfully.

"I don't know. I've seen him a lot because of it, but talking with him has been completely nonproductive. Better conversation with a wall. Meetings with his mother haven't gone so well… there seems to be some tension in the household. Teenage angst, perhaps? He's shot up like a weed, too."

"Is there no one that he confides in? A close friend?" Tamakawa questioned.

"Ah… I suppose. There's only one of his classmates who comes to mind. I suppose you'd like to speak with her?"

"Yes, we would."

"I'll attend your questioning as well."

"Of course."

Kojima stood up and started for the door. "Let me have the office call her down."

.

* * *

.

"You wanted to speak with me, Principal-sensei?"

The officers and Kojima looked to the doorway where a girl in her school uniform stood tentatively.

"Come in, Aoyagi-san. Have a seat with us." The principal smiled and gestured to the empty spot on the sofa beside him.

"Okay…" Kojima looked to the two men across from him as she made her way over.

"These are Officers Tsukauchi and Tamakawa."

She took a seat sitting straight-backed with her hands folded neatly in her lap and nervous, bright green eyes flicking between them. They looked back at her kindly with Tsukauchi raising his hand in greeting. "Hi, thanks for meeting with us."

"Aoyagi Hitomi, nice to meet you," she bowed her head with an anxious murmur.

"I hope we didn't take you out of a favorite class."

"Oh, uh, no," Aoyagi tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear and glanced away, "… just math."

"Heheh, not my favorite, either," Tsukauchi smiled easily, his hands cradled loosely between his knees. "We have a few questions that we want to ask you, if you're alright with that. If you aren't comfortable with what we ask and don't want to answer, or want to stop at any time, you can do that. Please don't feel forced to say something you don't want to. Are you okay with talking to us right now?"

She looked between them and then to the principal, whose familiar bucktoothed smile gave her reassurance. "Yeah… It's okay."

"Thank you… Aoyagi-san, are you friends with Akiyama Shisui?"

Her head perked up. "Yes."

"We want to ask you some things about him."

Her eyes shifted worriedly. "Is… he in trouble?"

"No, that's not why we're here. Actually, we think Akiyama might have done a very good thing, and we need to investigate further. In the case that we're working on, someone told us that Akiyama used his Quirk to help save their life. Does that sound like something he can do?"

Her eyes widened. She thought about it for a long pause, then her expression leveled out. "… Yes."

The principal looked surprised, and the officers remained keen. "Do you know how he uses his Quirk?"

"Yes…"

"… Can you describe it to us?"

"…" Her eyes darted away and she shook her head a tiny bit, and the officers frowned.

"…. Akiyama seems to have some trouble in school. Do you know why he skips classes so much?" Tamakawa tried another angle.

"Yes…"

"Can you tell us?"

"… No." She looked away to the side. "I'm sorry, it's just… I don't Shisui-kun would want to answer that, so…"

Tsukauchi's voice softened. "No, it's alright. It sounds like you're a good friend to him… How long have you known each other?"

"We've been in the same class since junior high started. We weren't friends back then, though."

"When did that change? "

"Last year."

That caught Tsukauchi's attention. _The same year__ his behavior changed__, too…_"Was that before he started having trouble in school?"

She seemed to get tenser. "No…"

_She befriended him after his behavior changed, then? _Tsukauchi's brow furrowed slightly. "How did you two become friends?"

"…" Her eyes fixed in place on the table, lips sealed.

.

* * *

.

"I guess this is what they mean by putting lipstick on a pig."

_"Hahahah—!"_

She ran away. Out of the bathroom and away from their jeers. Her eyes stung, but she held back the tears until she retreated to the bathroom on the second floor where the other girls wouldn't see. Looking back at herself in the mirror, she watched as she let them fall down her cheeks. Stepping up to the sink, she turned on the water and ran her hand under it then rubbed her lips furiously. It wasn't even anything fancy. They were all wearing the same lipstick and clothes for the set. She swiped a paper towel and smeared the wetted lipstick off. The door to the bathroom opened, and she spun away immediately retreating into a stall to finish wiping the tears and lipstick in solitude. When she finished, she sat there, motionless, waiting for the other person to leave. Alone again, and so she remained staring at the cracked paint on the stall door.

* * *

"I didn't see you at the school festival."

"… My stomach felt sick."

"Ohhh, why didn't you tell me? I could have brought you something. I was looking forward to seeing you dressed up with all of your classmates."

"… I'm sorry."

They were prettier without her, anyway.

* * *

"You've hardly touched your plate. Did I season it badly?"

"Oh, no… it's fine."

"Is it your stomach pain again?"

"Yeah…"

"We should see the doctor about this. You've hardly got any appetite these days."

Better to be hungry than a fat _pig_.

* * *

Someone had been in her bag. Her notebooks for every class were missing. Heart sinking, she looked around at the class. "Hey, um… has anyone seen my notebooks?"

There was silence, then someone snickered and it set off a cascade of ill-humor around the room. "No idea…!"

She clamped her lips shut and slid into her seat, alone in the full classroom.

She found her notebooks again at the end of the week. They were under her desk. Torn up page-by-page into a heap of scraps.

"Oh, it looks like someone found your notes!"

"Right in time for end of term, too."

"…" She got down on her hands and knees and cleaned it up without saying a word.

* * *

"Hitomi, dear, what happened? These grades are… I know you're smart enough to do this."

"… Sorry. I didn't study enough. And I was anxious… my stomach hurt."

"Again…? Dear, the doctor couldn't find anything wrong. Is something going on?"

"No. I just messed up." _I'm a fat, ugly, stupid pig._

"Maybe you should ask some of your classmates for help studying. A study group would be great for all of you."

"… Yeah."

_No_. Because everyone hated her. Bringing it up to the teacher only made their treatment worse. The only help they'd give her was making it perfectly clear how alone she was.

* * *

_Why me? _

She wondered that sometimes while picking herself apart in the mirror. Her body that had matured too soon, ahead of the rest. Too fat. Her breasts made the boys look at her more than the other girls. That was about the only reason to look at her. Her awkward shyness saw to that. She stumbled when she talked and said stupid things. She didn't even have a Quirk.

Different. Nonconforming.

Or maybe there was no real reason at all. People were just cruel, and she was unlucky. Maybe it just didn't matter at all.

* * *

There are a lot of bridges in Edogawa because of all the rivers.

Walking along the Koiwao Bridge, she looked down at the Shinnaka River. The water looked peaceful. Pretty. She was jealous of it; what a stupid thought. The next thought wasn't so much.

_This bridge isn't very high._

* * *

The Komatsugawa Bridge over the Arakawa River was taller.

There was a cluster of other bridges close by, but it was the tallest. Still, looking down at the water below, she was filled with a sense of unease. Not tall enough. Summer break was coming soon, though, so she had the time to look elsewhere.

Things were better in the summertime, too. Being at home was nice. It was safe. They weren't here to mock her. She looked at bridges and thought about it a lot, but in the summer, at least, she could put it off.

She went with her mother to the Tokyo Sea Life Park. For the first time in a while, she felt really light. They went to Kasai Beach Park afterward. It was located on a small island connected by a bridge. This bridge isn't so tall, she thought, looking down at the water as they crossed it. Her eyes scanned outward across the shimmering Tokyo Bay and settled on a structure in the near-distance.

_The Tokyo Gate Bridge was very tall._

* * *

The railings weren't so high. She could climb them with some effort. There were glass panels along the top of the railing for viewing. She looked through them to the water below. It was beautiful and very far down. Probably, this would work. But, not right now.

She kept walking alongside her mother, enjoying the day. Summertime was alright. Perhaps, she was even happy. There was still some free time left to decide.

* * *

_I can't go back._

She couldn't sleep. She couldn't breathe. The thought of returning to school in the morning was eating her alive from the inside.

She slipped out of bed on the final night of summer break. A note left on her desk. _I'm sorry, Oka-san. I never wanted you to worry. But I don't see the point, anymore. I'm not a strong person. It's just too painful to live._

There was enough money in her purse to make it to the bridge. Ten minutes to midnight, her eyes looked out across the bay illuminated by the city and moonlight. This was a lovely final sight. She leaned close to the glass and looked down at the dark waves. A twinge of worry pinched her gut. Would it hurt? More than the pain inside already? How long would it take to die? Her hands stayed on the railing, pinned by the final uncertainty. What if… it didn't work?

"This one is tall enough."

A rough voice interrupted from behind her. She jumped and spun around. The voice belonged to a shadow cut from the night. Faintly glowing red eyes looked back her. Their eyes met, and the glow intensified with the look piercing right through her as she pressed back against the railing with a chill racing down her spine. It stepped closer and then she realized that she recognized it as a familiar boy. With his hood up and hands buried in the pockets of his sweatshirt, her classmate slinked up to the railing. He looked away from her as he rested his arms and gazed down to the softly churning waves.

"You'll die in an instant."

.

* * *

.

"Shisui-kun… saved my life." The adults around the table tensed in alarm.

"_What? _What happened, Aoyagi-san?" The principal shifted closer on the sofa his eyes filled with concern.

She clamped down, staring at her curled hands in her lap. "I… I don't want to say… Shisui should be the one. You should ask him. Sorry."

The adults looked at each other from across the sofas both puzzled and worried. Tsukauchi's eyes settled back on her with a long, thoughtful look. "… Aoyagi-san, did Akiyama use his Quirk to save you?"

"… Yes."

"And can he save other people in the same way?"

"Yes…"

Tsukauchi leaned in looking at her intently, his intuition fully wired. Maybe it was a long shot. Nothing but a flimsy hypothesis. But even if it wasn't, there was something serious going on here, and he was going to find out the truth. "This next question may seem strange, but… do you know if Akiyama has any knowledge regarding the unknown caller from the May 15th disaster?"

Her reaction was immediate and spoke more volumes than her words. She wasn't surprised. Tsukauchi gauged the widening of her eyes as the shock of knowing—and being discovered. It was all he needed to see.

The principal, however, looked stunned. His head whipped to Tsukauchi and he extended a hand over the coffee table. "Wait, hold on! Is _that_ what this is really all about? You think _Akiyama_ is that caller?"

Tsukauchi's eyes didn't leave Aoyagi. "If we wanted to find Akiyama, where would he be right now?"

Her resistance seemed to crumble with the revelation, crumpling in with her shoulders. She shook her bowed head, then murmured softly to her knees. "… Shisui-kun is kind… he doesn't skip to cause trouble. He only cares about helping people. But he's really sensitive, too, and he hates when people look at him… I don't know where he is for sure. He'd never go to the same place twice. There's only the bridge that he goes to a lot, since no one's ever around. The old bridge on the former Joban Line."

The room was silent as the adults processed that while looking at her. She didn't look up, eventually asking in a small voice. "I don't want to talk anymore. Can I go back to class?"

Tsukauchi absorbed the information for a moment more, then replied kindly. "… Yes, of course. Thank you, Aoyagi-san. You've been a great help."

She stood up without saying a word and bowed then hastily walked out. Tsukauchi followed her with his eyes until the door clicked behind her, then his gaze shifted around to Tamakawa with a shared nod. "We've gotten enough information. Kojima-san, thank you for your time."

_Thump!_

Something loud and sturdy hit the wood of the sofa, forcing the officers' attention to the principle. His paddle tail relaxed, but the round and soft-furred features of the principle seemed far less amicable now with Tsukauchi finding a serious, demanding look aimed at him.

"Just one minute, please." The principal's voice was firm. "You didn't answer me. Do you suspect Akiyama of being the earthquake caller?"

Tsukauchi's expression was level. "I can't answer questions regarding our investigation at this time."

The principal didn't waver. "What happens when you find him? Are you going brand his face all over the news? Will you _use_ him?"

Tsukauchi's expression didn't change, either. "… Whoever the earthquake caller is, the police have a duty to find him before anyone else does and to protect him from that scrutiny."

Neither of them moved for a long pause, eyes locked. Then the principle shifted back slightly, though his eyes didn't leave Tsukauchi's. "I've never been able to get Akiyama to confide anything in me, but that is certainly from no lack of concern. Keep that _boy's_ best interests at heart, officer."

Tsukauchi inclined his head. "I do."

The principal seemed satisfied then with his posture relaxing. "If he returns to school before you find him, I'd like to notify you directly."

"Thank you," Tsukauchi took a business card out of his coat and passed it to the principal across the coffee table. "There is one other thing. I would like to get in contact with his parents."

"Of course, though it's only his mother. I'll get you the information you need."

.

* * *

.

Upon exiting the school, Tsukauchi and Tamakawa rejoined the original pair of officers who had been waiting outside. "We have a name for the student and a possible location he frequents—Here, looking at the map, I think this is the address. You two go to the west side of the bridge, Tamakawa and I will drive to the east. I'll let everyone know."

"Got it."

They headed back to their vehicles. Tamakawa took the wheel while Tsukauchi grabbed the radio from the passenger seat putting out a call to regroup for all officers checking the other schools. Tamakawa started driving while the officers tuned in, and once they were all present, Tsukauchi instructed them.

"We have confirmed the identity of the young man to be Akiyama Shisui, a third-year student at Edogawa Junior High School. He is skipping school today. Aida, Hashira, Tamakawa, and I are en route to a potential hangout of his at an old bridge on the former Joban Line. The rest of you will disperse and search for him in populated areas in Edogawa. He does not tend to stick around at any place more than once and avoids long interactions. Advising to approach him as casually and non-confrontationally as possible. He seems to be the type that would run away."

The officers continued to discuss their search areas and Tsukauchi chimed in now and then to provide information and directives. By the time they pulled up to the old bridge, everything had been sorted out and the teams were mobilizing. The two officers stayed in the car scanning the area carefully.

The old bridge in question was actually two identical tress bridges side-by-side. For a long time, they had served the Joban and Chiyoda Lines before being discontinued due to newer construction elsewhere. The steel beams and railroad tracks were rusted all along the span of the bridge and were supported by short, stout columns. The terrain below the bridge was flat with short grass alongside the narrow river, and there was a gravel path that ran under the end of the bridge parallel with the water.

Tsukauchi studied the chain-link fence that blocked off access. It was as rusty as the bridge, decorated with worn-out caution signs and topped with askew barbed wire. Right at the end of the bridge where it met the earth, a box of fencing blocked access to the space underneath it where some mechanical supports were. The fence wasn't topped with barbed wire at this junction as its top ended right at the bottom beam of the bridge. Bolted to this beam, the above guardrail that spanned the length of the bridge was potentially in reach.

"I bet that's where he climbs up the fence to get on the bridge."

"I don't see him from here," Tamakawa commented, looking carefully along the railing and between all the tresses. "Maybe on the other side, or the other bridge."

"Maybe," Tsukauchi agreed, "Though I'd rather not get too close right now. If he is here and he sees us, he'd think we're here to get him in trouble for being on the bridge. Aida and Hashira will be on the other side of the bridge soon. I'd rather stake out the location then risk him running off."

After waiting a couple of minutes for the other pair of officers to drive around to the other end of the bridge, the radio announced their arrival. The four officers got out together and approached the outer side of each of the bridges for a closer look. After a thorough scan, they confirmed he wasn't there.

"What now, Tsukauchi?" Tamakawa asked, looking over to him.

The officer thought about it for a few moments leaning against the car while studying the bridge. He raised the radio to speak with the two on the other side of the bridge as well. "This is the only area that we know of for sure that he frequents. I want to maintain surveillance here at least for the rest of the day; if he isn't here by evening, it's probable that he's gone home. Tamakawa and I will go contact his mother in the meantime."

He lowered the radio and looked at the bridge with a thoughtful furrow to his brow. "Hopefully, she can give us some insight."

.

* * *

.

"Akiyama-san, some police officers want to talk with you."

"Hm?" The woman seated at the table with an inventory list looked up sharply with a frown. "What's going on? Did they say?"

"No, but they're waiting by the door." The employee pointed towards the "Staff Only" door leading back into the store.

She thought for a moment then sighed, abandoning the merchandise and pushing up from the table. "Probably someone stealing something… no one better be dying."

She was less irritated by the interruption upon stepping out of the door and discovering one officer was an adorable orange kitty; oh, and a drab-looking fellow in a trench coat beside him. Her face brightened into a customer-serving smile that wasn't entirely faked for the cat man. "Hi, you wanted to speak with the manager? I'm Akiyama Akane."

Tamakawa blinked at her focused attention on him. "Ah, you're the manager? This is actually unrelated to your work, Akiyama-san." She frowned perplexedly at that as he gave a polite bow. "Officers Tamakawa and Tsukauchi. Pleased to meet you. May we speak in private?"

_Tama__kawa for a cat? Oh, that's too cute. _"Depends on what about, first," she replied, her customer service mask slipping off for a slightly wary one.

"We have some questions to ask you regarding a case in which your son is involved," Tsukauchi answered with a cordial smile.

She immediately groaned, her eyes rolling up. "Ohhh, _what's_ that kid done this time? Is he hurt?" _Seriously, Shisui?! The police? You couldn't stop at skipping?!_

Tsukauchi looked at her in surprise and quickly lifted a calming hand. "Ah—no, no harm as far I know. I'm sorry to have alarmed you. We're not here because he's done something wrong. But, please, it would be best if we explain in private."

Her annoyed expression didn't depart, but she conceded. "Yeah, come on, this way." She headed back through the staff door and the officers followed. She took them to an office that was full of inventory items and boxes though well organized.

"Alright, what's he done? Or, not done, whatever," she sighed, taking a seat at the desk and gesturing at a chair across from her. "Only one chair, sorry about that."

"Ah, that's alright." The two officers played a round of _you first, no _you _first_ before Tsukauchi took the seat.

Tsukauchi studied her as he settled into the chair. She had dark brown hair that was pulled back, fair skin, high cheekbones, and a sharp chin. Her eyes, most notably to him, were a rich burgundy; perhaps similar in color to what her son's supposedly were. Though, the bags under them plus her annoyance gave her a tired and cross appearance.

"Akiyama-san, we are investigating a case in which a witness reported that your son used his Quirk to help save their life."

"What…?" She looked dumbfounded, her eyes flicking between them then settling on Tamakawa. "Pardon my choice of phrase, but you're barking up the wrong tree. There's no Quirk like that in my family."

Tamakawa looked at her in confusion. "Your son is Akiyama Shisui; he attends Edogawa Junior High. Is that correct?"

"That's him."

"Then there's no mistake. We went to his school. One of his classmates confirmed it."

"Well, as his mother, I can assure you that there _is_ a mistake. My son's Quirk can't save anyone," she shot back flatly.

Tamakawa's ears pricked at the bitterness in her tone. "… What is his Quirk, exactly? Can you explain your certainty?"

Her eyes flicked to the side with a perturbed pursing of her lips. "Is that really going to be of any help to you?"

Tsukauchi leaned forward in his seat and urged. "Please. Any information you can give us may help settle our investigation."

She considered that for a moment with a swish of her mouth, then sighed and settled forward with a bleak look aimed at the wall between them.

"_Fine_… He got most of it from me… a little from his father. When he looks at people, he sees when they'll die. If he makes eye contact, he sees how. And _no_, he _can't _change that fate to help anybody out. It got that damned trait from me. When I sleep, I dream the circumstances of someone's death; someone at random who I met eyes with that day, or one person who I saw of my choice if I focus on them before going to bed. The visions we get are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our Quirks see a future that has already taken into account every action to change it. It doesn't matter what either of us do to try and stop what we see from happening. What is seen _will_ definitely happen. No matter what we do, something will always get in our way to make sure of it.

The best either of us can do to save anybody with our Quirks is to not see those fates. Might do something to keep it from getting set in stone, so I hope. I take medication that keeps me from dreaming. My Quirk tries to fight it ensuring I sleep like crap and feel like it when I wake up, but at least I don't see anybody die. And Shisui, my poor boy, stares at his feet all day, every day, to avoid eye-contact with anyone." She pointed at the dark rings under her eyes. "The only thing our Quirks have ever done is made sure I look like this, and that Shisui has the most god-awful slouch. That's it." She settled back in her seat and laced her hands on the desk. "_There_. Anything else I can help you with, officers?"

Tamakawa said nothing. The look on his face and the sideways swivel of his ears revealed how perplexed he was by that information, and the glance he shared with Tsukauchi showed similar confusion on his face as well. He rubbed his neck, head tilting a little from the effort of trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. "… Do you know your son's friend, Aoyagi Hitomi?"

"I do."

"Do you know how they became friends?"

"Not exactly. Shisui's never told me. I'd imagine their similar personalities have something to do with it; she's a wallflower, and Shisui—he's the wall."

"I… see. We talked to Aoyagi. She told us that your son saved her life—with his Quirk. She told us he can save other people in the same way." Tamakawa leaned forward, his voice insistent. "I know that doesn't match what you just said… but are you sure?"

She frowned. "… I have no idea why she would say that. Saved her life—did she say what happened?"

"No, Aoyagi didn't want to speak with us further. She'd rather have Shisui speak on the matter. Speaking of which, as I understand it from the principal, he's been skipping school?"

Her features shifted to annoyance again. "Yes, ever since summer ended last year, and he keeps his grades just high enough to scrape by without failing outright."

"Why? What happened?"

"I… don't know." She shifted uncomfortably in her seat and said nothing more.

Tsukauchi frowned. _Tension in the family, the principal said. _"… He doesn't talk with you about it?"

She was still for a long moment, then gave a huff with her expression softening into remorse. "… It's probably a bit obvious, isn't it? We aren't the closest… Shisui doesn't confide much in me. It shouldn't be like that between a mother and her child, I know, but… it doesn't matter what I say to him. He doesn't want to. And I can't change his mind."

Tamakawa looked at her sympathetically. "I can't imagine that's very easy. Was that last year, too? When he stopped talking?"

"No… that was… earlier. From something else." She wouldn't meet the officer's eyes, a silence stretching out after she finished. Suddenly, she cleared her throat and looked back at him, her expression clearing up. "Would you like to talk with Shisui? Is that what you're getting at? It's fine with me… honestly, you might get more out of him than I can."

"Well, we're actually trying to do that right now. When we went to his school, we find out he's skipping today."

"How surprising of him," she deadpanned.

"I have several officers out looking for him now. Can you think of anywhere he'd likely be?"

She thought about it, looking down at the table. "… He likes water. Quiet water, with reflections. Maybe parks with ponds…? I can't even say I know him well enough to tell you more than that." She fell silent, and the heaviness in her voice made both the officers share a sympathetic glance. Her eyes flicked up. "But, if you don't find him, he's usually home by eight every night. If you want to come by then, I wouldn't be opposed."

"Thank you for offering." Tsukauchi took out a card from his coat and passed it across the desk. "I'll let you know right away if we find him. Contact me at any time if there's something you can think of."

She took the card with a nod and swiped a sticky note to write on. "Good. As soon as you find him, I want to be there. I'm sure you can look it up, but anyway, our address if he doesn't turn up sooner, and my cell number." She passed it to him. "So… anything else I can help with right now?"

"No, I think that will do."

"Mm…" She looked lost in thought at the wall for a few moments, then a small huff passed her lips and her eyes met Tsukauchi's softer than before. "And look… just be kind to him, right? He's so… I try, but I'm not good at talking very gently, and it doesn't work with him. He always clams up. Sensitive."

Tsukauchi nodded, his voice soft. "I'll do my best to be patient with him… Family certainly has a way of making things complicated."

She scoffed. "Yeah, you can say that again… Anyway. We should both be getting back to work, right? Let me know as soon as you find him, please."

Tsukauchi stood up. "Thank you for your time, Akiyama-san."

She walked them back to the staff door, and once they were through, she returned to her work on the table. She didn't begin right away, though, pressing her hands to her slumped head with a sigh as she muttered under her breath. "Dammit, Shisui, just be alright…"

Outside, Tsukauchi and Tamakawa made their way back to the car. Both of them carried thoughtful looks.

Tamakawa glanced over at his partner. "She didn't seem to know about the bridge… I suppose it makes sense that he'd keep it just between him and his friend."

"Yeah…" Tsukauchi agreed absently, brow furrowed with his gaze looking unfocused in the distance. "There's something missing…"

They got into the car and Tamakawa looked expectantly at him. "Where to next?"

Tsukauchi remained silent for a bit, his eyes still unfocused with his fingers rested against his temple. He shifted with the hand pulling away to take out his notepad. His eyes flicked down to study the pages while his free hand twirled the pen. "Kojima and Aoyagi didn't agree on how his Quirk works. His mother _insists_ his Quirk can't save people like Aoyagi said it could. The behavior changes and befriending her in the same year. Saving her life… and now he's skipping to help others, too… Why not before? What changed last year when he saved her life…?"

His voice drifted off and eventually, the pen slowed to a standstill as he lost the trail on the page. He slowly swiped down his face then looked out the windshield lowering the notepad. "He'll have to fill in that part himself... let's go look for him. It's all we can do for now."

.

* * *

.

Tsukauchi and Tamakawa along with the other officers searched far and wide, but not a hair of Akiyama Shisui was to be found. The team staking out the bridge remained silent as well. As the sun reached the horizon coloring the sky orange, Tsukauchi put out the call to end the search for the night, and then the pair of them headed back to the station.

"I imagine you'd like to get home," Tsukauchi commented while watching a cup of instant noodles spin around in the staff microwave with a semi-mesmerized, glazed look in his eyes. "I can take care of the home visit alone."

"Mmmm, I'm sure my dinner would taste the same in any location," Tamakawa replied between bites from a fish bento at the table. "This is the closest we've gotten to an actual answer. I'd rather stick around and see it through."

"That's not the first time either of us has said that on this case," Tsukauchi smiled bleakly. After nearly a month of non-stop searching with the world breathing down their neck and the Commissioner General first in line for answers, going home at a regular hour was an increasingly distant memory for the detective.

"True. But I feel good about it this time." Tamakawa looked rather perky by comparison munching on a fish.

"I agree, but the inconsistencies are making me anxious. We've gone and gotten our hopes up." The microwave beeped, and Tsukauchi got his cup out. He sat down at the table across from Tamakawa. As much of a workaholic as he was, Tsukauchi could manage to relax for a couple of minutes taking out his phone and scrolling idly through pleasant pictures and stories of anything that wasn't about the case. Tamakawa was content to remain silent as well. For a few minutes, the room was quiet, and then a newcomer poked her head in.

"Helloooo!"

Tsukauchi didn't even need to look up to recognize that voice. "Hey, Makoto. I thought you'd be home by now."

"And leave you alone to make bad dietary choices?" He heard her move closer, and then her hand was in his line of view pointing a disapproving finger down at the noodle cup. "You aren't doing yourself any favor eating that junk over and over again. Here." She lifted up the grocery bag she had in her hand and set it down beside his cup. He looked up to find a box of nice spring rolls. "Ah, thanks."

She sat down in the chair next to him with her own box of rolls. "Sooo, how'd things go today?"

"Nice try, but you still can't bribe me," he shot back, setting the phone aside and opening the noodle cup.

"You were gone all day; and a lot of the other guys, too," she carried on like he hadn't said a thing. "Since most of our leads have dried up pretty quick, I'd say I must have found a juicy one."

"We're still investigating." He slurped up some noodles.

"But gosh, I really hope the caller isn't a teenager." Tsukauchi nearly choked on the noodles. "That's so dreadfully young." He shifted a sidelong glance at her and found an impish smile looking back at him.

"You're not supposed to be getting into those details, Makoto. I'm serious."

"I didn't get _into_ anything. Aida left a picture on his desk."

Tsukauchi sighed, tucking away a mental note to scold the officer about that, later. "Your role is to screen our leads. That's it. You can't keep snooping around like that or it will get you into trouble."

"What? I'm not planning on doing anything with that information, of course. I'm just _curious_."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Tsukauchi muttered.

"And satisfaction brought it back," she shot back with a grin.

Tamakawa looked across the table at them a bit sheepishly. "Um…"

They both looked up and realized what they'd said. "Sorry," they said in unison.

Makoto looked back at her brother. "So, when are you going to be home tonight? Oh no, let me guess—eight-thirty?"

"I have to follow up with a lead at eight."

"Mmmm, nine-thirty."

"Maybe."

She leaned on his arm with her head lightly on his shoulder. "It's okay to sleep every now and then. The caller will still be out there."

"And I'll take a nice break once we've found him. I promise."

"Mm… you're lying."

He stiffened slightly, realizing that her head was touching his neck just a little, and of course, that meant Polygraph. He scowled down at her. "Don't do that."

She chuckled and pulled away from him. "At this rate, I'd better schedule you a vacation!"

"Don't do that."

"Domestic or international? Might be good to get out of Japan after all this. But I here Yamanashi has a resort—"

"_Don't do that_."

Tamakawa watched the siblings continue to pester each other in slightly amused silence. He slowly inched out of his seat when he finished his bento. "Um… I'll just meet you at the car." Tsukauchi nodded with a glance in between another retort to Makoto's antics, and Tamakawa slipped away with a pleased feline smile. Weary as his partner was, Tsukauchi looked a lot livelier when his sister was around.

.

* * *

.

"Officers." Akiyama Akane looked them up and down from the opened doorway.

"Akiyama-san, it's nice to see you again," Tsukauchi gave a tip of his hat.

"I can't honestly say the same given the reason, but come on in, anyway." She turned back into the apartment and they followed her inside. "Also, Shisui isn't home yet. Of course, my darn kid is home late because I told you he's usually home by now. Funny that."

"Heh, it's alright." The officers slipped off their shoes while she walked on ahead.

"I made some tea. Do you want some while you wait for him?"

"Yes, thank you."

Tsukauchi looked around as he followed her. They lived in a simple and small apartment with the living and dining sections in the same open area. The furniture was minimalistic to match the cozy space though color-coordinated with blues and greens. It wasn't hard for Tsukauchi to spot the modern-styled butsudan shrine dedicated in the living room with pictures of fond memories with the deceased. She took a seat on the floor at the chabudai dining table and the officers sat down across from her with their backs to the shrine.

She poured the tea and passed it to each of them and then for herself. She took a tiny sip of the steaming beverage, set the cup down, looked at each of the officers, then down again at the cup wordlessly.

The officers sipped, looked at her, then at each other, then back at her. "… You have a nice sense for design," Tamakawa timidly broke the silence studying some tiny plants in pots hung in a staggered array on the wall behind her.

She blinked and glanced back over her shoulder. "Ah, thanks … sorry. I'm not much for small talk… don't have much time to entertain guests, either… it would be a short list, anyway."

"… Do you work long hours?" Tsukauchi asked, trying for conversation as well.

"Yeah. Store's been growing fast lately, seems we're always one person short in every department. But growth is good, right? Job security… so."

"That's a positive way of thinking."

She snorted a little. "Eh… I guess."

Tsukauchi sipped, his thoughts drifting to the shrine at his back. _It's just his mother, the principal said. _"… And Shisui's father? Where does he work?"

Her eyes went to the shrine behind Tsukauchi's head. "… He's not with us anymore. He passed away four years ago."

"Oh—my apologies, I didn't mean to assume," Tsukauchi replied hastily, his thought confirmed.

"It's alright."

Tamakawa looked at her sympathetically. "That must have been a difficult time."

Her eyes stayed on the shrine. "Yes. Shisui was close to his father… but, life goes on. Have to pick yourself up and keep moving. That's just how it goes." Her eyes left the shrine and she took another sip of tea. "… Sports. Anyone watch sports?"

Tsukauchi gave a faint chuckle at what was perhaps the most awkward transition in history but took the hint. "Not recently. I'm a big fan of baseball, though."

"Tokyo's winning in soccer lately. Keep seeing them on the TV at work. I like number eight, ah… what's his name—?" The deadbolt on the door turned and they perked up at the sound. "—Ah, Shisui." They listened to the door swish open with their gazes expectantly pinned on the hallway.

The teen stepped in with his head down and a black sling backpack over his shoulder. He closed the door quietly and turned to the entryway. He was about to slip off his shoes like usual but froze with the toe of one foot on the heel of the other shoe when he saw the two pairs of men's shoes that shouldn't have been there. For a few moments, he was motionless, an uncertain anxiety fluttering in his gut. _Mom has guests over on a workday? And two men? She didn't say anything…_ He moved again, slowly, keeping his shoes on as he crept down the short hall into the living space. He peered into the room with his eyes low and found three faces turned his way making his feet freeze again. They were waiting for him. His pulse quickened.

"You're home late," his mother commented. "What'cha been up to?"

"…" There were a lot of police around today. He wasn't sure why, so he had been cautious and taken the long routes around town. "Just out walking. Why are they here?"

His voice was deep for his age with a rough quality; especially over the phone, he could be mistaken for someone older. Tsukauchi aimed a relaxed smile at him. "Hello, I'm Officer Tsukauchi, and this is my partner, Officer Tamakawa." A feline smile was also aimed his way.

Shisui's stomach dropped. For a moment, his mind was still, and then a single word was whispered. _Run._

The adults at the table were startled as he whipped out of sight back into the entryway. They heard the door open and the officers scrambled up with his mother right behind them.

"Shisui, get back here, young man!"

The door swung wide instead. By the time the officers reached the hall, it was empty. "Shisui! Wait!" They hopped into their shoes out onto the second-floor balcony to see where he'd gone. Tamakawa spotted him first with his cat pupils dilating in the dim lighting, and he pointed for Tsukauchi to where the teen was running for a side street. _He's fast! Did he jump the railing?_ "You're not in trouble for anything! Just let us explain!"

"Should I chase him?" Tamakawa asked tensely, already poised to pounce down.

Tsukauchi watched him disappear around the corner with a clenched grip on the railing. "… No. He's fast. He'd know these streets far too well. Besides, we might know where he's going—"

"Shisui! Come back!" His mother ran barefoot to the railing and called out. He wasn't anywhere to be seen, and her voice fell, hands clenched on the railing with a grimace. "Dammit… goddammit!" She wheeled around and whipped the air with her hands in frustration. "I can't get him to do anything. Not even come home! And I call myself his mother! Shit… Why did you run…?" She seemed to run out of steam, running her hands up over her head then cupping her neck as she leveled an anxious, unfocused stare at the open doorway.

The officers looked at her silently for a moment then shared a look. _On second thought… _"You should stay with her. I think she likes you more, anyway," Tsukauchi instructed quietly, then turned to address her. "Akiyama-san, I'm going to call someone who can help find him. As soon as I can, I'll let the two of you know. We'll get this figured out. I'll make sure of it."

She looked over letting her hands slide down heavily with a shake of her head. "… I'm sorry. This is so ridiculous. None of us needed this tonight… find him, please."

"I will." Tsukauchi gave a final nod to Tamakawa then hurried down the stairs, his phone already out to connect through the police portal of the Hero Network. Two people came to his mind…

.

* * *

.

Canine nostrils sniffed the air, nose pointed at the pair of old tress bridges. "He's definitely been here. Very recently. Maybe still here."

Fingers looped around a metallic scarf. "I'll take a closer look." Cloth whipped up to the beams of the left bridge, and they watched the hero depart silently up the structure with his back illuminated in the strong moonlight, the moon nearly full.

The pair of them stood and watched from the cover of the rusty fence at the end of the bridge being sure to stay out of sight. After just a minute or two, a silvery ribbon and shadow dropped back down and approached them. "He's here. Five pillars down, left side, sitting with his back against one of the beams. Only thing he has is a backpack. Not sure if he planned on holding up here overnight or what."

Tsukauchi looked out at the bridge. "About halfway down… he's in shadow from here, it seems." He glanced up at the hero beside him. "Hound Dog, can you get to the other side of the bridge without being seen? I don't want him running again."

"Easy," Hound Dog nodded sharply.

"Good. I'll climb up on this side." He looked at the other hero. "Eraser Head, watch from above. I'd like to approach him first if he'll let me, but if he won't cooperate, you'll be our last resort. Just nothing rough."

"Got it."

"I'll head over," Hound Dog took off quickly, running in the shadow of the bridge on the right. He proceeded to leap onto the structure easily to circle around to its twin from the other side.

Eraser Head studied the section of fence that wasn't barbed under the end of the bridge then looked at Tsukauchi. "So, when you say 'climb up', do you mean actually climb or…?" Eraser tapped at his Capturing Weapon with a questioning look. _Need a hand?_

Tsukauchi gave him a flat, incredulous look. "I'm not exactly young anymore, but I can still climb a _fence_."

"Heh, alright…" Eraser backed down unbothered in the slightest with a ghost of a smile and a shrug. "Logically, this would be quicker, but that's not a bad attitude, either."

The hero proceeded up the frame of the left bridge as quickly as he had the first time while Tsukauchi followed the fence to the climbable section. He curled his fingers in it and dug a toe through a fence loop and pulled himself up the first step. About a month's worth of convenience food and poor sleep protested, and a flash of regret struck over not taking up the hero's offer. _Though, this was certainly easier when I was a kid…_

He was committed to the climb, though, and while definitely slower than either Pro, he made it up and through the railing with less sweat than anticipated. He adjusted his coat then started cautiously down the bridge, making sure to step quietly as he eyed the spot where the teen was supposed to be. When he was close, but not too much so, he called out gently.

"Akiyama-san?"

A shadow jolted up from behind a beam, and Tsukauchi saw a widened pair of faintly-glowing red eyes look back at him, though angled down below his face. The teen backed up, his stance panicked, and Tsukauchi quickly held up his hands with his voice softened. "Relax, you're not in trouble. Can I talk with you?"

_No._ He spun around and started to run, but a huge furry shape stepped out from the beams ahead of him making him stop short.

Hound Dog had his hands lifted too as he stepped forward slowly. "Take it easy, kid. You can't outrun my nose. Just talk with us."

Akiyama stepped back from him quickly and whipped around to again face Tsukauchi, who had stopped walking and remained at a distance to keep the pressure off.

"We're not here because you've done anything wrong. But we do need some answers. I'm Officer Tsukauchi, again." He gestured slowly over the train tracks, which were somewhat raised relative to the base of the bridge. "Can we sit and talk?"

Akiyama's eyes flicked to the tracks, then they flicked to the right where the railing was. His posture relaxed and straightened. He began walking forward slowly. Tsukauchi started to relax his hands with a reassuring smile on his face at the teen's apparent cooperation as he came closer. Suddenly, the teen twisted, bolting for the side of the bridge.

"_Don't!_" Both Tsukauchi and Hound Dog rushed forward in alarm as he vaulted over the railing.

Neither of them could see from their angle that a ledge jutted out from the support pillar about a meter below; Tsukauchi hadn't taken this structural detail of each pillar into account before, having never anticipated him jumping off the side. But the teen knew every inch of this bridge. Once he landed, he started running for the end of the ledge with the intent to hang down from it and drop the shortened distance to the ground below. But his hands never reached the edge, for someone else's hands were quicker.

His body jerked to a stop as hard coils wrapped around him suddenly trapping his arms to his sides. He grunted in surprise as he was pulled with a firm yank that forced his back against the main body of the bridge. Above him, Eraser Head stood with a foot braced firmly on the railing and his hair dropping as he blinked down at the rather gutsy teenager he had captured. "Let's not have anyone get hurt here… that's still a bit of a drop down."

Tsukauchi breathed a sigh of relief as he stopped by the railing. "Thank you, Eraser."

"Hm." Eraser Head took a handful of cloth and started hauling the teen back up onto their side of the bridge. Hound Dog reached over with his greater height and bulk and managed the rest with a few quick hand-over-hands. He set the dangling teen on his feet lightly, and the three adults looked at him, one on each side and the railing to his back.

Akiyama kept his eyes pinned on the ground, and there was a sudden lack of fight in his deflated shoulders after having every attempt to flee fail.

Tsukauchi stood in front of him with a concerned expression. _You'd rather jump off a bridge than talk to me, huh?_ "I'm sorry we had to tie you up like that. But we really do need to talk."

He looked at Eraser and motioned for him to untie the teen. Eraser did so without objection. Akiyama rubbed his arms as soon as he was freed and stuffed his hands into his sweater pockets, still refusing to look anywhere but the ground. His bangs hid his eyes mostly save for the faint red glow.

Tsukauchi put a hand on Akiyama's shoulder. "Let's go sit down." He turned with a gesture towards the tracks. His eyes met Eraser's briefly and he nodded to him with a glance to Hound Dog. "I'll handle it from here."

Eraser nodded, though his eyes flicked to the teen. "I'll stay in sight-distance, though." _Proven to be a runner._

The two heroes started walking for the end of the bridge to give them space. Tsukauchi's hand on the teen's back urged him forward, and he didn't fight it. The officer guided them over to the tracks which they took a seat on with Tsukauchi on his right.

Tsukauchi looked sympathetically at the teen who sat curled over with his head down and his eyes pinned on the floor. _Mom said be gentle. _"… For whatever it's worth, I'm sorry for all this. I can tell you really don't want to talk… But it's something that I have to do. Though, that doesn't mean your feelings here don't matter. You don't have to talk to me alone if you don't want to. If you'd be more comfortable, we can go back to your mother—" the teen shook his head "—… or, we can talk at a later time with someone else that you trust, like a teacher. Would you prefer that?"

Tsukauchi waited expectantly, but he gave no response or even moved, his eyes still pinned on the floor and half-hidden. The officer frowned, thought, then tried again. "… This must be pretty alarming, but I'm not here because you're in any trouble. In fact… I hear you've been helping people. That's what I want to ask you about tonight. I think it's a wonderful thing to do. I just need some answers."

Akiyama did react then, hunching down even further with his arms curling around his tucked-up knees. However, again, he refused to speak. Tsukauchi's frown deepened, mouth swishing to the side. "… Is there anything you're willing to talk about? Something we can start with first? I'm alright with that."

The teen only turned his head away. Tsukauchi rubbed his neck, looking a bit put-out. _I suppose the principal did say it was like talking to a wall… come to think of it, his mother called him that, too. _Tsukauchi's eyes dropped down to his coat, feeling the objects in the pocket there. _Well, I was going to save these for after, but… anything to get through to him at this point._

"I've spoken to a lot of people who have met you… yet, there's quite a lot I'm uncertain about. I'd say, one of the few things that I am certain about, is that you like these." Tsukauchi pulled the objects out of his coat and set them by the teen's feet.

Akiyama turned his head a little, and Tsukauchi watched him stare at the Coca Cola and black licorice bag he'd placed there with a long look. At last, the teen broke his silence with an exhale of disbelief, and looked away again. "… The police really can figure out anything."

Tsukauchi looked relieved to hear his quiet, rough voice. He had stopped by the store nearly on a whim on his way to the bridge; a last-minute remembrance of a tiny detail. "It seemed to me like you're having a rough day, so I thought I'd get you something on my way here. Is that your favorite snack?"

"… Yeah."

"I wondered if it might be. I saw you getting it on a camera at a convenience store about two weeks ago… come to think of it, that would have been around the time you helped save a man's life. By telling him to go see a doctor, that he would be very sick… that was you, wasn't it?"

Akiyama was silent, and Tsukauchi worried that the teen had withdrawn again as he pressed on. "That man did go to a doctor. They discovered his cancer and caught it early enough to treat it. He told me that he was grateful to the person that saved him, but he didn't get the chance to thank him… to thank you."

He curled inward on himself further, his hands combing slowly through his hair and settling on his neck, hiding his face from Tsukauchi; not that his unreadable expression had given anything away. _Come on… What are you thinking right now?_

"Aoyagi told me how you saved her life, too." _Even your friend._

That one did get a response out of him. A faint snort was followed by him quietly scoffing. "Is that what she said?"

Tsukauchi frowned, intrigued by that reply. "Yes, it is… she said that you are kind. That you save other people, too… that's why you skip class, it seems. She says your Quirk can save people's lives. Can it?"

"… It's not that great," came the quiet mumble beneath the teen's arms. But it was finally _something_.

"Is that so…? Aoyagi wouldn't tell me everything. Your trust matters to her. You have a good friend. I still don't have all the answers. Like how your principal and your mother say your Quirk can't help people. I suppose you haven't told them anything about it?"

"… I didn't want to tell them."

"I can see that… you prefer to do it alone. I think, it might be scary to talk about it… you don't know what they'd say… And from what Aoyagi did tell me, I think there could be more to it than that. Not just what those closest to you would say, but other people, too. I have to wonder if you know about the call that was made to the police. The earthquake caller… Aoyagi knew something about him, and you; something that she said you should be the one to say."

The teen was quiet again at that, and Tsukauchi asked quietly.

"Can you tell me, Akiyama-san?"

He leaned away from Tsukauchi slightly with a tight, tense sigh, his left hand pressing to his forehead with his right arm shielding his face from Tsukauchi's view as he muttered.

"I don't see what point there is. You already figured everything out. You just want a confirmation… You know already, can't that be enough? Just leave me alone."

Tsukauchi looked at him sympathetically. "I can't do that, I'm sorry. There are people who are counting on me to find the truth. Also, there may be something you haven't considered, either. Other people could figure this out, too. There is a real concern we have that there are people out there who would exploit such an ability and people's fears for personal profit… perhaps not that caller himself, but villainous individuals who would manipulate him. We can protect him from that if we know who he is."

Akiyama stood up suddenly with a scoffing comment under his breath. "And use him for yourselves." He walked forward and Tsukauchi watched him warily. He didn't seem inclined to run, however, his distress was evident as he began to pace up and down the bridge with his hands unable to settle between his sides and running over his hair.

Tsukauchi watched him in silence for a few moments, then settled forward with his hands together and a focused gaze.

"Are you the earthquake caller?"

Akiyama stopped walking, his hands on his neck and eyes looking distantly at nothing down the bridge.

The silence stretched and Tsukauchi's eyes didn't leave him, watching as he ran a hand back through his hair with eyes low. _It doesn't matter what I think… I need to hear it from you, Akiyama. I need the truth._

"You're scared. That's alright," Tsukauchi said softly.

It seemed that comment was the breaking point for Akiyama. He whipped back around to face Tsukauchi with a glare at the officer's feet, his hands animated. "No, I'm terrified! And _you're_ trying to drag me into it!" He jabbed his hand at the officer then spun away pacing back and forth with his hands agitated.

"I didn't know this would happen when I made that call—I didn't know it would get all over the news! My classmates are talking about it, it's online, on TV, in magazines, on the radio—everywhere I go! _Everyone_ in the _world_ is _looking_ for me! Once they find out who I am, they're going to come after me. They're going to _stare_ at me, and they're going to want me to look right back at them to tell them when they'll die. They won't take 'no' for an answer! They'll never leave me alone! And _you_ want me because important people everywhere want to _use_ me, too. Am I even going to get a _choice_ in this?!"

His voice cracked with emotion as he whipped back around to Tsukauchi with his demand for an answer, though as always, his eyes stayed below the officer's face. It took Tsukauchi a few moments of silence to recover from his surprise. And then he looked sadly at the teen in front of him. Fear, uncertainty, and the overwhelming social pressure of the whole world's scrutiny. A 'sensitive' boy they had him. Like talking to a wall; he bottled up his anxiety and fears inside. Until it cracked, then collapsed. No doubt, it had been weighing heavily on his mind all this time. But he had still _helped_.

"… If you had known what would happen, would you have decided not to warn us?" Tsukauchi asked softly.

Akiyama was quiet with the energy of his outburst vanishing. He turned away and walked to the railing, leaning heavily on it and looking down at the smooth water where his reflection was. "… No. I couldn't do something like that. So many people were going to die. If I hadn't done _something_… they would have."

"You're a good person," Tsukauchi said kindly. "You chose to take action. With your Quirk, I imagine it's hard… watching people die. It can't be easy to do that alone." Tsukauchi stood up and approached the railing settling his arms beside Akiyama and looking over at him.

"I'm here to say you don't have to help people alone. I can help you, and others I know. Not just that, but we have the resources to aid you in reaching the most people. We will look out for you so that you can save people's lives. Tell me… is that something you want?"

Akiyama was quiet for a long time looking at their reflections together. He sighed and closed his eyes slumping down into his arms. "… I do… want to help people. But… you've got it wrong. It's not because I'm so good of a person. I just…" His voice died, struggling to find the words. Tsukauchi waited patiently until he found them. "… I have to do something with this guilt I have."

Tsukauchi frowned. "… For what? Can you… are you willing to tell me?"

Akiyama was quiet with his head bowed for a long time, and then he drew in a quiet breath.

"… It started with Aoyagi."

.

* * *

.

_She has beautiful eyes. _He watched the water rush up to meet them as her feet left the bridge. The darkness that followed when they connected was sudden, and then it was swiftly gone leaving him looking back at her startled green eyes. He looked away from her, lowering his gaze to the desk._ It's a shame she'll die._

Her eyes remained on the odd boy sitting in the corner who had stared at her so intensely, then she shook off the feeling his eyes had left her with and smiled at someone else. "Hi, I'm Aoyagi Hitomi from Edogawa Elementary. Let's have a great time in junior high together!"

Most of them avoided the silent boy in the corner. They read his isolated placement refusing to look at anyone and stayed away. He didn't spare any of them more than a glance, but he always listened.

23300812034756 was loud and obnoxious. He didn't like him right away. 23330627232003 already seemed like a bratty sort of girl. 23261017134026 was nice. He'd probably be one of the class reps soon enough.

"Everyone take your seats, please." He glanced up as their new homeroom teacher came in. She gave them her name, but he just looked down again. 23050205023033 seemed alright. Her voice wasn't annoying, at least. Not that any of it really mattered, though.

Walking home from school, he kept his eyes on the ground in front of his feet and not on the throngs of people around him. There was no point. Even if he looked up, all he would find was a sea of numbers. Faces replaced by numerical digits, and eyes holding a hopelessly unavoidable future.

The school year progressed, and with it, he watched 22640831235610 with the green eyes. The bullying started subtly. Laughing at her clumsiness, poking fun at her chest. Snickering hidden behind hands and whispered insults. 23330627232003 started it; he knew she'd be a brat. He never really could get it why people were wired that way. She singled her out and gradually it infected the class.

He sat alone watching her sit alone surrounded by worthless numbers. They disgusted him. But he never moved against them. He watched and did nothing. What was the point? She would die, and nothing he did, no matter how hard he tried, could change that future. But that didn't mean he didn't care in his own hopeless way.

In their second year, he watched her more closely. He noticed how silent and withdrawn she had become; nearly as much as himself. After school, he followed her some days for a little while. He watched her slow down while crossing the bridge on her way home, her eyes on the water. He knew why. He knew this was the beginning of the end. But he said nothing. Did nothing. The future could not be changed.

What was the point of this life he had? He wondered that often. What value was there in living a life surrounded by constant reminders of mortal misery? What purpose did these curse eyes have when nothing could be changed? He might as well not exist at all. The future would be the same either way.

As the final night of her life approached, he prepared. Unable to stop it, but still capable of caring, he decided he would be there to see it through to the end.

From his position on the opposite side of the bridge unnoticed, he watched her hesitate. He jumped the railing easily to walk across the barren midnight road approaching her from behind. She was so lost in thought she didn't notice him until he spoke.

"This one is tall enough."

He watched her jump and whip around. He lifted his eyes to hers, and with the piercing vision, he confirmed her fate again. Eyes dropping from hers, he slumped on the railing beside her and looked down at the waves she would soon meet.

"You'll die in an instant."

It took her a while to recover and respond, her eyes still wide on him as she processed his words. "Y… You mean… you've seen it? With your Quirk?"

"Yes," he answered faintly.

His Quirk was vague to her. It wasn't something he had ever brought up willingly in class. She only knew a little bit about it from class introductions. Still, his words gave her an odd sense of relief. Instantly. She didn't have to worry. Aoyagi's hands settled back on the railing as she looked down at the water again feeling strangely calmer.

"… Did… Did you know for a while? How did you know I'd be here?"

"I knew from the first day of junior high. I recognized this bridge when I saw… well." He quietly left it at that.

"That long… then it's for real. Wow… but you… why are you here?"

"I never did a single thing to help you. It didn't matter. I don't have the power to change your fate. But… I can do one thing, I decided."

She looked at him questioningly. "That is…?"

He turned his head to look at her, his gaze dropped to below her chin. "I can be here at the end. After all the misery you've been through, and the loneliness, I can make sure… that when you jump, it isn't alone."

Her brow furrowed, unease fluttering up in her belly disrupting the eerie calm she felt. "Wh-What are you saying?"

He looked forward again and closed his eyes, pressing his fingertips to his eyelids. "My eyes shouldn't exist. Locking people into their fates is so cruel. If I had the stomach for it, I'd have gouged them out already. But I'm not strong-willed enough for that... Yet, I've still got the will to live miserably looking at nothing but the ground. I don't want it anymore… existing like this."

He pulled away from the railing and faced her fully. "So… this way, neither of us will be alone."

She stared at him with her mouth slightly agape. The calm he had given her left replaced with an unsettling feeling and an anxious gait to her heart.

He held out his hand, words spoken quietly. "Are you ready?"

She looked down at his hand and thought for a long moment. The anxiety hadn't left, but the more she looked at him waiting there, the greater the pressure felt not to keep him waiting. And, also, there was a… comfort, in having him here. It would be instant. He'd be with her. And when he spoke, he sounded so sad to her; so hopeless. Though he wouldn't meet her gaze, Aoyagi looked at his eyes. They always glowed; red, foreboding. She couldn't imagine living with such a Quirk. Perhaps… that's why neither could he anymore. Aoyagi took his hand wordlessly accepting the offer.

Akiyama was taller, so he helped pull her up onto the railing beside him. Once there, he let go of her hand to swing his leg up and pull himself up onto the glass viewing panels. Once he was steady, he reached his hand down again.

_We… we're really going to do this._

She hesitated, then slowly put her hand in his again. Carefully, he pulled her up beside him. They crouched to stay stable looking down with nothing between them and the water now but air.

_It feels… so much more real up here._

They rose together slowly connected by their hands still clasped together. And then they stood still.

_This is it…_

Neither of them made the first move, both still looking down at the sea.

_Just one more step. That's all. Then nothing at all…_

Yet their feet stayed grounded. Akiyama lifted his eyes to the sky shutting out the sight of the drop below. The sky; he never did look up much. It was alright to look up now. Up at stars made faint by the glow of the city. They'd have been brighter, prettier, outside the city. Maybe, to see them, would be nice, but… no. He focused his eyes on the red blinking of a plane. Red. He hated red. So. Much.

_Just… one step._To end the color red.

He lifted his foot forward.

Aoyagi's hand on his suddenly went tight. _"Stop!"_

She pulled him back with her grip and his foot found the bridge again as he looked at her sharply with a startled jolt. She saw his wide, questioning eyes on her face, forgetting to keep them angled below, and she hesitated with her grip loosening. "I… I don't want to see you die, too. This feels like, like I'm responsible for it!"

She pulled her hand out of his and retreated down to the railing clinging tightly to the top of the glass panels. She paused for a moment there feeling breathless from the anxiety hammering in her chest that had made her step down, looking at the water again from this point of safety while Akiyama continued to stand at the top of the panels looking down at her dumbfounded.

"I… I change my mind!" She stepped down the rest of the way back onto the bridge pathway, shaking her head and stepping back. "I… I'm going home. I can't, I don't… don't jump, either, maybe?" She turned away looking at the ground. "Sorry… to leave you alone."

Akiyama watched her hurry away without another word. His mouth was wide open as he stared after her. Shocked by her declination? Yes. There was something else, too, however. Something he saw that shouldn't have been.

_23331117223249._

_But that… that isn't right! She's 22640831235610! She was supposed to die just now—!_

The wind picked up suddenly pushing against his back. It caught him off guard and he felt himself lurching forward. His eyes snapped to the sea below, and in that moment, the sight of it stabbed him with panic. He threw his arms out and caught himself, then dropped down immediately to all-fours on the ledge. He slipped down quickly to the railing with his breathing shallow and quick. His arms felt shaky, and he lifted his right hand watching it tremble out of his control. Swallowing, he slowly stepped back down to the floor on weak jittery knees. Immediately he dropped down low on his haunches with his hands still holding tight to the railing above his head to stabilize himself. He stared out at the sea through the glass. The strange calm he'd felt at the top was gone; back on the ground, the adrenaline surge hit him.

_Survive._

His lip shifted wryly with a weakly amused laugh at his own situation.

"I guess… I really do want to live, after all." Too weak-willed to commit to even nothingness. The moment of bitter humor left him and his eyes focused. His head turned back to her direction, watching her shrinking back retreat over the growing distance.

_But you…_

.

* * *

.

"She was supposed to die that night. But she didn't."

Akiyama looked down at the water contemplatively and thought quietly for a while. Tsukauchi watched him, his body completely still with a serious, focused gaze and made no sound. He listened as finally, Akiyama spoke for himself.

"I don't know why it happened… it never did before then. No matter what I did. I could never change the future I saw. But it did that night… something changed about my Quirk. She lived. And… not just her. Anyone. I can change the fate I see now. Once I realized, I… I couldn't take it.

If I had just figured it out sooner… there are people out there I've seen—they're dead now. Even little kids. I've walked right by _children_ who I knew I'd outlive and I never said a thing. Because I couldn't _do_ anything! But now I _can!_ I had this ability somewhere in me all this time, and it took me this long to find it. If I only figured it out sooner, they could be alive now! Things… things could have been different.

But I was complacent. I just accepted I couldn't change a thing, so I gave up on trying. What was the point in even bothering? I watched them torment Aoyagi. I never lifted a finger to stop them. For the longest time, I stopped viewing those around me as people. In my mind, I didn't call them by their names; just their numbers. The time of death I saw when I looked at them.

But I can't do that anymore. Now that I can _do something_—I have to! It's why I stopped going to school. I just go walking, looking for people who will die young instead. What do grades even matter when there are people dying, and I can change that?"

Akiyama went quiet, staring down at the water for a long pause. Then he closed his eyes with a sigh.

"I just feel… so ashamed."

Tsukauchi's serious look broke into a saddened, sympathetic one as Akiyama fell silent. He put a hand on his shoulder and spoke, his voice gentle.

"You had no way of knowing you had that ability. And as soon as you did, you _used_ it. You were the only one who helped Aoyagi in the end. You _saved_ her life. You can't be blamed for not saving _everyone_. Not even All Might can do that. To the people who you've helped, you are their hero, each and every one of them. You have done nothing wrong."

Akiyama's lip tightened. He rubbed his nose and sniffed. His eyes flicked over at Tsukauchi then dropped back down quickly. His voice was barely more than a whisper, shaking his head a little.

"… It still feels like it, though."

Tsukauchi's soft expression only deepened, and he lifted the hand from Akiyama's shoulder to wrap it around both of them with a light squeeze.

"People will always be dying… No one can change that. Giving even some of them more time as you have done, despite how it makes you feel… That is a very kind and selfless thing to do. Their deaths are not your fault."

Akiyama's lip wobbled, and he tried to hold it tight. He blinked rapidly and flicked his eyes up to keep the gathering liquid in while sniffing sharply. His chest was hot and heavy as he focused on counting steady breaths.

Tsukauchi didn't miss any of it, giving the teen's shoulders another gentle squeeze.

"It's okay to cry. You've been carrying this around all by yourself. You're strong... And now, it's okay to let it go."

The calm he'd been fighting for failed. Akiyama's tightened lips split apart as the tears spilled down his cheeks. The control he had over his lungs held for slightly longer, then it too succumbed to a sharp inhale and the first quiet sob.

Tsukauchi maintained a silent vigil staying as he was with his arm around the teen's shoulders; right where he needed to be. He watched their reflections in the water below them, listening to Akiyama and feeling the jerk of each sharp inhale beneath his arm. Patiently, he said nothing nor moved as eventually the quiet sobs he heard faded away and the sharp inhales he felt became less frequent. He watched the teen's reflection wipe his eyes and heard him sniff, collecting himself. Things became quiet. Akiyama had leaned into him slightly as he wept, and Tsukauchi felt it immediately as he pulled back again slightly to straighten himself. He looked back over at Akiyama with a kind smile and dropped his arm from Akiyama's shoulder to his back.

Akiyama glanced at him then away again to wipe his eyes once more, then he turned his head with his gaze aiming for the tracks behind them. His lips turned up slightly with the ghost of a timid smile.

"… I'd like that Cola, now."

Tsukauchi chuckled softly, dropping his hand away Akiyama's back. "Yeah, go ahead."

Akiyama pulled away from the railing and Tsukauchi turned to watch him. The officer rested his back against the railing, and for a moment, the weary, morose look he'd kept at bay settled on his face as he watched the back of the teen. He pushed away from the railing and tucked the look away as Akiyama faced him to sit back down on the tracks.

Tsukauchi walked over as the teen opened the Cola and drank deeply. He sat down beside Akiyama while he lowered the can and paused, staring down at the logo, then set it aside and reached for the black licorice. The bag crinkled as he opened it and took out one of the short, bite-sized pieces of candy. He chewed slowly for a few seconds with his eyes set absently on a fixed point on the ground. He silently offered the bag to Tsukauchi with his eyes staying pinned where they were. Observing the silent, thoughtful look of the teen, Tsukauchi's intuition told him to remain silent as he took a piece and started chewing. Akiyama pulled the bag back and his eyes settled on it with the same lost in thought look. He swallowed his piece but remained silently staring. Tsukauchi had finished his own piece by the time the teen broke the silence, watching him expectantly.

"I have nightmares about people dying."

Tsukauchi's eyes sharpened on him. Akiyama remained motionless with his eyes on the bag in his hands.

"… It's not a part of my Quirk, exactly. It's more just… seeing, stuff. Remembering it. Then I dream about it, later… Most people die pretty peacefully. They just get old, die in their sleep, whatever. There's just this darkness I see at the end. Because, their eyes are closed. I don't mind those ones… but… I look for the not so nice ones. The ones who die young. Some of those are peaceful, too. Like getting sick, dying in a hospital bed… it's not a very violent end. But a lot of them aren't like that. Car accidents, when they don't die right away… Fires, when they burn to death. Slow deaths…"

He fell silent for a moment, then said with his voice a ghost.

"Murder."

Tsukauchi's eyes widened. Akiyama shifted a little in his seat, his tongue rolling around the inside of his cheek.

"… I see how someone dies in the first person. Once the vision starts, I can't look away. I have to see it all the way through to the… end. So, I see the knife coming for me. I don't feel pain, but there's a… _mortality _sensation. I know when it hits me. I know it's going to kill me. Not, really me, you know, but… in the vision, it _feels_ like it's almost me. When it's done, those thoughts kind of… linger, with me. I've died a lot is how it feels."

Akiyama fell silent again. His tongue rolled again with his lips shifting to the side, then he took out another piece of licorice and popped it in his mouth. He chewed slowly for a while.

"… It's kind of, comforting, I don't know… having something to chew after all that. Kind of, to forget about, you know, with the taste… I don't know. That probably sounds stupid."

Tsukauchi shook his head reassuringly. "Not at all. I'd certainly not criticize you for your choice in comfort food."

Akiyama's lip pulled back slightly. Silently, he offered Tsukauchi the bag again. The officer accepted, his eyes on Akiyama as he brought another piece to his mouth. "… How much do you see? I mean, information-wise, not the… how _graphically_."

"Oh, I see _all_ the graphics," Akiyama replied blandly. "Some people have bad eyesight, though, you know? I actually see worse with them. It's through their eyes, right, first-person… I see everything relevant to the death. Hospital visits, sickbeds, then the darkness right at the end. The attacker if it's a murder, maybe them coming in the room… the wave was coming, but I couldn't get away. Water filling the building, rising, rising, face pressed to the ceiling for the last bit of air, panicking, panicking! Lungs bursting, then giving way, water filling them up, choking, drowning… then tingles, can't struggle anymore, everything is dark now… And that's how it ends."

Tsukauchi's jaw had stopped chewing. He stared at Akiyama with a startled look. Akiyama didn't look back, but he seemed to sense it as he continued with a lighter, non-theatrical tone.

"… It varies, kind of, I guess I'm trying to say. Some are a lot worse, more graphic than others. Sometimes it's really obvious, but other times, I just know they get sick from seeing the hospital. Couldn't tell you with what, though. I can't hear or tell anything else about it, so it's just what I see there."

Tsukauchi slowly started chewing again. "How many people do you usually look at?"

"It depends… who's walking by. I only bother if they die younger than they should. I mean, you're gonna be eighty when you go, that's a nice life. There's someone who's going to die at half that age who needs my eyes way more. Maybe… twenty, some days. Forty, others. Something like that. I… can't really stand more than that. It's mentally draining."

Akiyama paused, his brow furrowing a bit.

"… It was different, though, for the earthquake… I did a couple hundred over the weekend."

"_Hundred?_" Tsukauchi repeated.

Akiyama nodded, his eyes looking focused. "I spent every minute I could looking at people. I felt so sick when I got back, I ended up skipping and just slept for a couple of days…. Wasn't the best sleep I ever had."

Tsukauchi looked concerned. "And you never told your mother what you were doing?"

Shisui frowned. "I didn't want to tell her anything… I'm not saying why, either, okay. I don't want to talk with her about my Quirk." He looked to the side. "… You're going to tell her though, aren't you?"

Tsukauchi considered that for a few moments. "Well… you can't keep it to yourself at this point. But, perhaps… no. Maybe I'll leave it for you to say. Or, if you want me there with you… I'll let you decide. But know that your mother is worried about you. When you ran, she blamed herself. You don't have to tell me why things are like that between you, but I think you should consider talking with her. She's worried about you."

Akiyama pushed his lip out with a look that was not altogether convinced. Tsukauchi spoke lightly.

"It's something to think about, at least."

Akiyama did for a few seconds, then looked over at Tsukauchi nervously. "… What happens now? What… happens to me?"

Tsukauchi looked out over the bridge, his eyes thoughtful. "Well… I'm going to take you back home. That's not up for debate, sorry. After that… I'm going to report to the Commissioner General. He wants to know who you are. Be prepared to meet him. There will be questions from him, and likely others with him. Mostly about your Quirk and the earthquake. As for what comes after that… I'm not sure. It depends on what they want to do, and what they offer you." Tsukauchi looked back at the teen with an encouraging smile. "I'm sure that's not very reassuring, but just remember: as far as the Commissioner is concerned, and many others with him, you are a national hero. Don't doubt your worth."

Akiyama thought about that for a long time with a worried crease in his brow and took a slow sip of Cola. "… Can you be there when I talk with them? I think… I'd feel a little better."

Tsukauchi looked pleased with that and nodded. "Of course. I'll make sure it can be arranged."

The worried crease disappeared at that, and Akiyama took another long sip before grabbing another piece of candy.

Tsukauchi let him chew in amicable silence. When he finished the piece, Tsukauchi smiled and put a hand lightly on his shoulder.

"Are you ready to go?"

Akiyama thought about it for a few seconds looking at the ground then gave a deep shuddering sigh. "… As I'll ever be."

Tsukauchi stood up while Akiyama grabbed the licorice and Cola then followed suit. He walked back over to the spot where he'd initially abandoned his backpack. He stuffed the bag of licorice into it and swung it onto his back, then looked down at the can in his hand with a little swish. There wasn't much left. He tipped back his head and finished it off, then slipped the empty can into the bottle holder on his bag. He rejoined Tsukauchi, and together they walked down to the end of the bridge where Hound Dog and Eraser Head had settled with the former leaning back against the railing and the latter sitting on it with a deep slouch. The heroes watched them approach with keen, focused looks on the teen. Tsukauchi smiled at them.

"Thanks for waiting. We've got things figured out. I'll take him home now. You're both free to go now."

"Glad things worked out," Hound nodded at Tsukauchi then looked back at the teen. He could smell the chemistry of emotions on him but decided not to comment on it.

"Great. Later, then," Eraser replied blandly as he slipped down from the railing.

Tsukauchi looked at him with a sheepish smile. "Ah, one thing, before you go, if you don't mind…" Eraser stopped and looked at him questioningly. Tsukauchi pointed down at the side of the bridge where he had come up. "A hand down would be appreciated."

Eraser looked at the railing. "Ah." A ghost of humor crossed his lips. "Young enough for just one fence a night, huh?"

Tsukauchi looked slightly embarrassed and exasperated. "Heh, sure, something like that…" It was the lack of sleep and convenience food, really… Mostly the food.

Eraser unwound a coil of cloth and looped it tight around the railing leaving a curtain of fabric hanging down for the officer to use.

Tsukauchi crouched through the bars and carefully climbed his way down using the fabric's aid. He reached the ground and straightened his coat, looking up with a smile. "Thanks."

"Hm." Eraser looked at Akiyama, who stood close by the railing watching Tsukauchi's descent. He lifted a hand to gesture at the tied fabric in invitation. "You can—"

Before he could finish his sentence or the gesture, Akiyama pulled a quick step away from him shooting him and the fabric a distrustful look. Eraser stopped speaking and retracted the hand to the back of his neck instead, watching Akiyama slip slick as a whip through the railing. The teen scampered down the fence and jump down lightly with the ease of repetition.

Eraser observed this and unwound his cloth from the railing returning it to his neck without further comment, though mentally gave a shrug as he watched the officer and teen start heading back up the riverbank for the police car parked out of sight. Hound Dog stepped beside him and stopped, and Eraser's eyes flicked over. "I know you don't need help getting down, Hound."

Hound wasn't looking back at him, though, his eyes set on Akiyama with a frown. He spoke quietly.

"Hey, you heard him, too, right? When he was shouting, said he made 'that call'… Eraser, do you think that was… there's no way the earthquake caller is just some kid, right?"

Eraser's eyelids lifted slightly in surprise, then dropped back down as he looked to the teen as well with an unreadable expression. It would have been harder not to hear the kid shouting on the bridge with no other sounds around. And certainly, the content had been… suggestive, of a certain conclusion. But whatever words had followed that sudden outburst were lost to the private distance for the officer and teen alone to know. And _that_ was the real point to take home, here.

"… I can't truthfully say that's impossible. Logically? Improbable. But _possible_?" Eraser looked away from the teen and started walking down the bridge with an air of finality. "… In any case, I'd say it's no longer any of our business."

Hound watched him go with an exasperated look. "Grrr, that apathetic attitude doesn't come so easy to some of us, you know? This is hurting my heart!"

Eraser didn't even look back.

"Perhaps you should go see a doctor."

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-**Seriously**. Especially in today's climate, go see a doctor if you're feeling unwell.

-Early readers of chapter 1 might notice I changed the earthquake date from May 5th to May 15th. I realized retroactively that May 5th is _Children's Day_ in Japan and didn't like having a deadly disaster on a day celebrating the future of little kids.

-If you're asking "who's Makoto?" you need to go look up MHA: Vigilantes and read it by like, _yesterday_.

-So… suicide. In 2018, Japan had its highest youth suicide rate in 30 years. Suicide in general is a major national issue. MHA touched on suicide a tiny bit from the very beginning with Bakugo suggesting to Midoriya he should jump off a roof. I think it's a topic worth revisiting in fiction along with its close siblings depression and troubled youth. I'm not aiming to make this story just about those issues, but it is a story with a protagonist who checks all of the above boxes and doesn't turn into a plucky young cinnamon role who can take on anything with a smile just because he gets to be a superhero now (don't get me wrong, I like Midoriya. I just also like a character who is a bit of the opposite). We can probably all think of someone who is or has been in similarly dark points in their life, and maybe wondered how things would be if someone had saved them. Something to think about perhaps in this story.


End file.
